


Alpha And Omega

by Jld71



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha Jared Padalecki, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bottom Jensen Ackles, Claiming Bites, Forced Captivity, Forced Pregnancy - Not Between Jared/Jensen, Forced Sexual Acts - Not Between Jared/Jensen, Hints of Underage Sexual Acts - Not Between Jared/Jensen, Knotting, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mpreg, Murder, Nearly Feral Jensen Ackles, Older Jared Padalecki, Omega Jensen Ackles, Rape - Not Between Jared/Jensen, Top Jared Padalecki, Younger Jensen Ackles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:08:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 70,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24899704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jld71/pseuds/Jld71
Summary: Jared is an alpha who works for the Alpha Council of Weres. He and his team are sent out to investigate allegations of abuse against alpha leaders of packs. On one such job, an abused and nearly feral omega is discovered locked in a cage. Jared finds himself drawn to the green-eyed male omega, finding himself intrigued by Jensen, who he feels the need to protect and care for. Jensen’s first introduction to Jared is his voice and his interest is piqued. Once he sees Jared, despite having been abused by the alphas who have kept him caged, he begins to warm to Jared, allowing Jared to get close to him, breaking down the barriers he created to protect himself from the pain he’s only known until Jared entered his life.
Comments: 82
Kudos: 696





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Do Not Re-Post Without My Written Permission - Only To Be Posted On My AO3 Or LiveJournal Accounts.
> 
> Written For The 2020 spn_j2_bigbang
> 
> Beta: jj1564
> 
> Artist: dwimpala21

_ Jensen Ackles was nine years old when his world was shattered right before his eyes. _

The rate of male omegas being born with green eyes had dwindled over the last twenty years. No one was sure as to the reason why, but as their numbers decreased, the desire to mate and breed with a green-eyed omega had become a fantasy for one pack alpha. While he held fast to this fantasy, he had overlooked the truth behind their basic biology. Rare male omegas born with green eyes only went into heat when they were in the presence of their mate, making them a rarity. Jensen Ackles was one such omega; a male with vibrant green eyes. 

Pellegrino had seen Jensen one day while the young omega had been out with his parents, and had tried to buy him from his parents. Disgusted by this, they had refused his offer. Not one to take no for an answer, Pellegrino put his plan into motion to acquire Jensen for himself by eliminating the obstacles keeping the omega from him; his parents. He had them followed, hoping to at least get Jensen alone so his men would be able to abduct him. When that had failed, he ordered their deaths. Having their executions happen in front of the young omega only strengthened the fact that Jensen lived or died at his discretion. 

_ Nearly fourteen years later, Jensen’s world changed again.  _

The call came in at twelve hundred hours to the Alphas Council of Weres. 

The phone was picked up on the third ring. A male voice spoke in hushed tones. 

“Please, you have to do something. Those poor omegas, what’s being done is sinful. They’re being abused. The pack alpha and his second in command, they’re abusing the pack omegas. You need to send someone, quickly. It has to stop.”

“Sir, please, you need to give me more information,” Sandy said in response. Sandy McCoy had been working the day shift at the council headquarters when the call had come in. It had been a quiet day for her until then. Hearing the plea for help, she shifted in her seat, sitting up straight, and grabbing a notebook to record any information the caller would or could give her.

“Please, we’re not all like this. Not all of us alphas approve of what’s being done here,” the male voice pleaded out over the phone line. “Omegas should be protected, they should be treasured. They should be treated as valued members of the pack,” the man’s voice cracked with emotion as he spoke. He was clearly affected by what was going on, and by what the omegas were supposedly being subjected to. 

“Yes, I understand,” Sandy responded, trying to get the caller to trust her. “But I need more information before I can file a request for help. Can you give me your name and tell me where you’re located?”

“Ashland. The abuse is happening in Ashland. The alpha has taken omegas against their will. Any unmated omega has become fair game. He’s kidnapped omegas. He’s chained them to beds. They’ve been forced to breed. It’s disgusting, it’s shameful. They need help. They need to be freed. He keeps us here against our will. He won’t let us leave. You need to come, now. Please,” the male voice begged before the line went dead. 

That wasn’t something that shocked her, the line going dead. Usually, tips were called in anonymously. Once the whistleblower got the information out, they would quickly hang up, too afraid to be discovered. Most of the time, the whistleblower was a pack member who had seen enough abuse and called it in, needing to right the wrong. Sometimes, the wrong was imagined, but most of the time, it was true. It was sickening to think that abuse happened in a pack. But that was why the council existed, to protect the packs, mainly the betas and omegas, from abusive alphas. What was shocking to Sandy was that someone had actually lodged a complaint of abuse for Ashland. 

There had been rumors of abuse happening in Ashland. She had heard of alpha Mark Pellegrino. He was known to be arrogant and old school in his leadership of his pack. And while many on the council had turned their backs on the old ways - in which alphas were thought of as superior, betas were treated as second class members and omegas as the lowest form of the pack - that didn’t warrant the need for the council’s involvement. But with this call, the council could finally make a move. They could finally move in on Ashland and launch an investigation. 

Feeling her heart hammering in her chest, Sandy pushed herself back from her desk, got up, and walked down the small hallway to Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s office. JD, as he preferred to be called, was the head of the Investigational Unit of the Council. As she approached JD’s office, she could hear his gruff voice coming from behind the closed door. Not waiting for a break in whatever conversation Morgan was having, knowing he would want this information ASAP, Sandy knocked on the door and waited.

“What?” JD barked out.

Sandy took a deep breath, knowing JD’s bark was a lot worse than his bite, placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it, opening the door. Before her stood Jim Beaver, a council member and sitting at his desk was JD. Both had stopped speaking in order to regard her as she stood in the open doorway with a file in her hand. She waved the thin file folder in the air and then took a few steps inside, looking first at Jim and then JD. She leveled JD a pointed look before speaking. “I just got a call about Ashland, Mark Pellegrino’s pack. We can finally move in.” Sandy looked at the two alphas and waited for their responses.

“Well, hell, it’s about time someone stepped up,” Beaver said in response to Sandy’s announcement. 

“Yeah, sometimes I hate the rules - that we have to wait for a call before we move in,” JD groused as he extended his hand to take the file Sandy had pulled on Pellegrino and his pack before coming to him, as was the council’s protocol. He needed to look it over before deciding on what to do next. He was thorough, if nothing else. He accepted the file with a tight smile. “Thanks, Sandy. I’ll let you know if I need anything else.” 

With a slight nod of her head to both men, Sandy turned and left the two alphas, knowing she had been dismissed by her superior.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Beaver said as he turned to leave. “I don’t envy you, son.”

“Yeah, you get to sit on the council, but don’t have to make the hard decisions,” JD huffed at the older alpha, and then gave him a tight smile.

“Well, that’s because I used to do what you do. I’m old, past my prime. Now, I get to sit back and watch you,” Beaver chuckled, knowing that would alleviate some of the tension he saw in JD’s face. “You know, I think there might be a seat opening up on the council. It could be yours if this is getting to be too much for you. No one would hold it against you.”

JD’s head snapped up from the file he had been reading over. “What? Are you saying I’m getting old, you old cur!” 

“Never!” Beaver said in mock indignation. “It’s just that I know this work takes a toll on a person. It burrows into your soul and hollows you out. You’re always at the ready, never really getting to settle down. You go in, assess a pack for abuse, weed out the abusers, and do your best to get the pack back to as healthy a pack as it can be. You never get to put roots down. It doesn’t make for an easy life.”

“Yeah, well, that’s why the Alphas Council of Weres exists,” JD said in a tired voice, “so we can police the packs we oversee. Most are fine, never really needing us. But when a claim of abuse like this comes in, I’m just glad we’re here.” JD closed the file and sat back in his chair, regarding the older alpha still standing in his office. 

“Well the offer still stands. You don’t have to oversee the tactical units. Maybe you can take the seat that’s opening up and promote Padalecki,” Beaver offered with a shrug of his shoulders. “I heard he’s pretty good at his job.”

“He is, I just don’t know,” JD said thoughtfully as he stroked a hand through his beard. 

Beaver’s eyebrows shot up in surprise to JD’s admission toward the younger alpha, Jared Padalecki. JD had been his mentor and had been the one to go to bat for him when the council had decided to form a second tactical team. “What, I thought you approved of him?” Beaver questioned.

“I do, I do, it’s just that I’m not sure if I’m ready to hand the reins over to anyone yet. But if I was, it'd be Padalecki.” JD gave a shrug of his shoulders. “It’s something to think about,” he admitted, knowing he wasn’t getting any younger.

“Well, when you’re ready,” Beaver said before leaving, closing JD’s office door after himself.

  
With a tired sigh, JD reached for his desk phone. He hated what he was about to do, but it was the nature of the beast, he thought to himself as he dialed the phone number and waited for the line to be picked up.

“Padalecki,” he said, sounding weary from the other end of the line.

“Jared, it’s JD. Suit up and call your team. We just caught a case.” He heard the growl from the man on the line as he finished speaking.

“Damn it, JD, we’re due for some downtime. We earned it. Call Sheppard and his crew,” Jared huffed in annoyance.

“No, this is something I need you to take care of. You’re better at handling something like this,” he said and immediately heard an irritated sigh coming from Jared. “I’m sending you to Ashland.”

“What? You’ve got to be shitting me!” Jared responded, no longer sounding weary or irritated. “It’s about time. Who the hell called it in?”

“Don’t know, it was anonymous. But time is of the essence. I’m sending you the file I have plus the intake from the call. It’s not much, but at least it’s something. I want you there within twenty-four hours. My gut tells me this is bad. Really bad,” JD said as he scanned the intake notes from the anonymous call, plus the file the council had on the Ashland pack and Pellegrino into his computer and then sent it to Jared. “Call me when you get there.”

“Will do,” Jared said and then ended the call. He sat on the couch in the spacious apartment he was staying in, waiting for the file to download. He looked around the living room admiring it, as he always did when he was staying at Christian Kane’s apartment. Christian was his second in command for the team he ran. A minute later Jared’s phone chirped, signaling that he had received the file that JD had sent him. 

Placing his feet on the coffee table he pulled up the file and read through it, familiarizing himself with Pellegrino and Ashland. “Holy fuck,” he breathed out as he finished reading what little they had on him. The reports of abuse seemed far-fetched - kidnapping, beatings, rape, murder, omegas being starved, omegas being chained to beds and forced to breed like broodmares. It made his skin crawl and his stomach roil. His blood boiled as he thought over the allegations. If any of this was true, there would be hell to pay and he’d be there to make sure that Pellegrino and any other alpha involved paid the price. 

The council kept files on all Were packs that were in the area. And, the area was huge, spanning more than half of Northern America and Canada. All alphas who had their own pack, no matter the size, were members and reported to the council. The council had created two tactical teams, and they were in the process of creating a third, headed up by JD who oversaw the policing of all packs. They went into packs that had claims of abuse leveled at them, weeded out the problem, stopped the abuse and helped get the packs back up on their collective feet and under a new alpha - one who didn’t share in the previous alpha’s beliefs or whatever type of abuse they had perpetrated. Yearly, they then paid the reformed pack an unannounced visit to make sure that those who were once abused no longer were. At times it was heart-wrenching work, but necessary. 

Jared was so engrossed in what he was reading that he didn’t hear the door to Christian’s apartment open. “Get your feet off my coffee table, boy!” Christian yelled good-naturedly.

Jared startled, having not heard Christian enter. “Sorry,” he mumbled. Eyeing Christian, he gave his friend a tired smile. “Well, you’re one less call I have to make.” He heard the groan coming from the other alpha and winced. He, like the rest of his team, had been looking forward to their downtime. He hated having to call everyone back in, but their expertise was needed and there were possibly pack members whose lives were in danger. They came first, before him and his team’s rest and relaxation. His team knew that, it just didn’t make it any easier to deliver the bad news.

“No, we were scheduled for downtime!” Christian raised his voice, not caring that his superior was sitting in front of him, telling him that their respite had just been canceled. “No, no, no. Jared, I have a date tonight, with a sweet woman - Cynthia. Do you know how long it took me to convince her to go out with me?!”

“Yeah, I know. But this just came in. It’s a claim of abuse against Pellegrino,” Jared said and then he heard Christian whistle. 

“When do we leave?” Christian asked, all signs of frustration gone from his voice. He, along with the others had heard the rumors surrounding Ashland. They had all been itching to investigate those rumors, but they were just rumors, and they couldn’t just step in on another alpha’s pack without some type of invitation. 

“As soon as the team is assembled,” Jared said as he started making the calls to the rest of his team. He was thankful that despite the fact that their promised downtime had been revoked, no one put up a fight. Sure, there was grumbling - especially from Aldis. He’d just mated with a beta and had been looking forward to spending time with his mate. But they readily put aside their personal plans to meet at their headquarters.

They would gather at their headquarters, the building over from the council’s main building, an hour later. While the council’s buildings consisted of offices and a large meeting hall, the tactical headquarters consisted of a medical bay, a tactical weapons room, an office, a rec room and a large room with two rows of six bunk beds along with two bathrooms and showers.

Currently, Jared’s team, having assembled in the rec room, was going over their tactical plans for entering Ashland and assessing what, if any, truth there was to the claims being made against Pellegrino and his second alpha in command, Sebastian Roche. As he read the field notes on Ashland, he told them the pertinent information. Ashland was located seven hours away from their headquarters and the lands belonged to the pack but were ruled by Pellegrino. The pack had settled there over three hundred years ago when the pack had been established. Pellegrino had fought for and won the pack from the last alpha nearly ten years ago. That alpha, Rufus, had since passed and had been buried on his pack’s land; it was a sign of high honor that a displaced alpha had been buried with his former pack. Ashland, like many other pack lands, consisted of families as well as lone alphas, betas, and unmated omegas. The pack lands were set up like most of the others they had been to over the years; cabins, a meeting hall, a medical cabin, a school, and farmlands. Those who chose to work outside of the pack lands were free to come and go as they wanted. Well, that was if the pack was healthy and the alpha allowed it. He had dealt with a pack where the alpha had confiscated the keys to all his pack members' vehicles, not wanting to allow them off the land for fear of his actions being reported. He suspected that had also happened in Ashland if the report of members being held against their wills was accurate. 

Jared surveyed his team: Christian Kane, Chad Michael Murray, who were tactical along with himself, and also did fieldwork. He had been lucky enough to persuade Misha Collins, a respected medical doctor and Felicia Day, a well-known technology expert, to join his team, as well as Aldis Hodge, a weapons expert, Matt Cohen, a social worker and Richard Speight, a coveted mechanic and driver. 

Jared knew he was lucky to have made it this far moving up within the council, and at the age of twenty-one, he had been made the offer to head his own team - one he had been able to handpick - and they had been together for nearly eight years. He trusted them with his life and he knew that trust went both ways. They were more than a team, they were more than friends. They were family.

Kane, Murray, Aldis and himself were alphas and had all been on other teams when they had been recruited right out of high school. In the course of his training and fieldwork, he had met Cohen, Day, Collins, and Speight; all but one of them were betas. 

When he had offered Matt, an omega, the chance to go out in the field, he had been met with opposition by the council. He had stood his ground, not wavering in his choice. He wanted the man on his team. He knew omegas, male or female, were often seen as weak-willed, being ruled by their heats, and that was one of the reasons the council had opposed Matt’s presence on his team. But he saw it as a benefit. If they were going out into the field to help abused pack members, especially abused omegas, then who better to have than an omega - one who understood what an omega experienced during a heat - there with them? Matt was more than capable of doing the job as their social worker. He was sympathetic to the omegas and betas, and took his job seriously, trying to find resources to help those who had been abused heal. He didn’t let his biology rule his mind or his job. The council had finally come around and his team had been assembled. No one on his team had ever questioned his choice of members. They all fit together, and worked well under pressure and got the job done. 

“Jared, what are we walking into?” Matt asked.

He looked up from his notes to answer Matt. “I have no idea. Pellegrino has always been able to turn anyone away who’s come poking around. All I can say is prepare for the worst, because I think that’s what we’re going to find.”

“Well, shit,” Aldis breathed out. Aldis had made it his business to know all types of weaponry the council would provide for them. He had also gone past that, making sure he knew what else was out there, how to use it and how to stop it, if need be. He then trained their team on how to handle their weapons and to also protect themselves from what was out there. 

“Fan-freaking-tastic!” Felicia called out with a smile. She was a top-notch computer expert and great at cracking code or finding a backdoor into a computer system. There was no one else he would rather have heading his team’s tech needs than her. The petite redhead’s looks were deceptive, making her appear harmless when in reality she could throw down with the best of them. 

Taking another look around the rec room, he was satisfied with what he saw. His team was dressed alike in the standard issued black Henley shirts, black cargo pants and their flak jackets - something Jared insisted on when they were going out into the field, and black combat boots. He would rather err on the side of caution than possibly lose one of his team members to a bullet. When they entered into a pack, some of the members could be hostile. They had come up against more than one gun-wielding alpha trying to stop their investigation. Each had their utility belt with a flashlight, gun, several pairs of zip tie cuffs, two-way radio, stun gun and the standard issued knife and baton along with their rifle. Jared carried one weapon that the others didn’t which was a tranquilizer gun. Those were only issued to the team leaders to be used in special circumstances. Everyone on his team had been taught the basics as far as combat and protecting themselves and the team. 

“Everyone ready? We roll in ten,” Jared said as he shoved the notes and his own electronics into his black backpack before sliding the strap over his shoulder and pulled himself up to his full height from the chair he had been sitting on. 

“Yes, sir,” was the collective answer from his team. 

With a nod to his team, Jared left the room to check on their transport.

As Jared walked into the hangar where their vehicle was housed, he found Rich inspecting the Cougar. The only one allowed to drive it or perform the maintenance on it was Rich. They both preferred it that way. Jared knew the mechanics for the council were more than capable of servicing the vehicle, but he also knew that Rich was adamant that he be the only one to touch what he considered his vehicle. Rich was meticulous regarding the care he gave to their Cougar - one of several military vehicles the council had acquired from the human military world. It too was black, having been painted once the council had purchased it, wanting to separate it from its previous military life. The Cougar seated ten fully equipped passengers - eight inside and two up front. Jared rode up front with Rich, making sure there were two sets of eyes keeping watch as they drove. The Cougar was built to drive into danger and though they had yet to ever test that aspect of it, they knew they were safe in it. It was after all, built to survive in harsh wartime climates such as Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Rich, you all set with checking your baby out? Is she ready to get on the road?” Jared inquired as he watched Rich finish his inspection. “I told the team we’re leaving in ten and that was about two minutes ago.” Jared gave him a wide smile showing his dimples in the process.

“She’s ready, boss,” Rich said as he walked around to join Jared. “And, you can put away those dimples. They don’t work on me,” Rich said as he shook his head and laughed. 

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about!” 

“Uh!” Rich said as he tossed his duffle bag into the back where they stowed their ‘go’ bags. Their ‘go’ bags contained several changes of fatigues and toiletries. “I can’t believe we finally got the green light to go into Ashland. I’ve heard the rumors. If any of it’s true . . .”

“Yeah, I hear ya.” Jared turned as he heard footsteps coming toward them. He watched as the team entered, ready to climb aboard the Cougar and get to their next assignment.

“Are we good to go?” Christian called out.

“Of course. It’s like you doubt me and my baby,” Rich pouted. “Have we ever let you down?”

“Well, there was that one time,” Chad quipped, resulting in a look of death from Rich. 

“That one time was when we were at a bar. You need to give a guy a heads up when you want them to act as your wingman, you ass!” Rich sputtered in protest.

“Ok, gentlemen, and I use that term loosely, break it up,” Jared said, placing his backpack inside the passenger side of the cab. “Everyone, get in, and get settled. We have a seven-hour ride ahead of us. Nap if you need to, just make sure you’re bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when we get there.” Jared turned his back on his team and climbed into the cab, settling himself for the ride. 

“Copy, that,” Chad responded as he disappeared around the back of the vehicle with Christian. He had met the two of them when he had been assigned to his first training camp. The three of them had very similar combat training. Chad was an expert marksman. He was just thankful that while he had Chad on his team, there had never been cause for Chad to use his skills.

Like Jared and Chad, Christian was proficient in hand-to-hand combat. Christian had actually trained Jared when he was in basic training. Jared owed his life to the man who had trained him to defend himself. The skills Christian possessed had saved them from time to time when they had entered into what some would call enemy territory. 

Jared himself possessed the same military skills as Christian and Chad and was very familiar with many types of weapons. He was good with a knife as well as his fists in a fight. But what set him apart from the others was that he was a born leader. People tended to listen to him and allowed him to take the lead in tough situations. He wasn’t sure if it was his towering height or his bulk - he had built up his body through excruciating workouts. Combine his size with his soft-spoken voice and dimples and he usually had people doing what he had requested from them.

The last member of his team was Misha, their medical doctor. He could be unorthodox at times in his approach to treating his patients. He relied on herbal remedies as well as traditional medicine. He preferred to treat the entire person, not just what ailed the person. Jared had walked in on Misha more than once while he was trying to show his patient how to strike a yoga pose when he was actually supposed to be filling out health forms for them. 

Jared felt the impact of the door being closed as Rich climbed up next to him. He looked over at him and saluted him, letting him know he was ready for Rich to start driving. 

“Everyone’s safely tucked in,” Rich said as he turned the key and started the engine. 

Within a few moments, the Cougar was pulling out of the hangar and off of council property. 

“You can get some shuteye, you know. I’ll keep us safe,” Rich said as he glanced over at Jared and then back to the road, already an hour into their seven-hour drive.

“Yeah, give me two hours then wake me.” Jared crossed his legs at the ankles, crossed his arms over his chest, settled himself back against the seat and closed his eyes, letting the movement of the Cougar lull him to sleep.

Nearly three hours later, Rich reached out and placed a hand on Jared’s shoulder, jostling him slightly to wake him. “Jared.”

Jared startled awake, trying to figure out where he was. His hand went automatically to the gun at his side.

“Whoa,” Rich responded, seeing Jared’s reaction. “Just doing what you asked, no need to draw your gun on me,” he said with a nervous laugh. 

“Sorry,” Jared muttered as he started to let himself relax. “Where are we?”

“Nearly fours hours into the trip,” Rich said, raising a hand to stop Jared. He knew he’d been told to wake him in two hours, but the guy had looked so worn out, he’d decided to let him sleep a little longer. He saw Jared tense; he’d overslept in his mind and Rich had disobeyed his order. He sighed before saying anything else. Jared could reprimand him later, if he really felt the need to. “I know, but come on Jared. You need to sleep too.”

Jared huffed at him, but remained silent, taking in his surroundings. He scrubbed his hands up and down his face, wiping away the tiredness he felt. “Next time I tell you to wake me in two hours, just do it.” He turned to look out the window, ending any other conversation.

They stopped once to refuel the Cougar as well as giving themselves a chance to stretch their legs, before piling back in to make the rest of their trip. Jared and Rich rode in silence for the next three hours. Rich kept his eyes on the road while Jared kept point, making sure they got to their destination safely. When they were fifteen minutes outside of Ashland, Jared had Rich pull the Cougar over to the side of the road so he could go over any changes and also allow his team time to stretch their legs. He wanted them to enter Ashland looking like they were ready to take on anything they had to. 

Getting out, Jared stretched, working the kinks out of his cramped and tired muscles and watched as his team climbed out from the back and stretched their muscles. He felt restless, so he could only imagine what the others felt like. He nodded to them as they assembled in front of him, using the Cougar as protection should they be ambushed, waiting for him to speak. He pulled his phone from his pocket to give a quick update to JD, giving their location before they entered Ashland and lost all possible communications. He received confirmation that their mission was still greenlighted and to proceed with caution. 

“So, we’re about fifteen minutes out. I’ve checked in with the council and nothing has changed. There haven’t been any more claims leveled against Pellegrino or Roche. There also isn’t any more intel than what we have. When we make it onto the pack land, they will see us coming. There won’t be any hiding our arrival, not that we normally do that. But, I want to make sure that we go in there showing the pack that we’re only here to assess what’s going on. If we have to take down their alpha and his second in command, I want to try and do that without the eyes of his pack on us. They’re going to be fearful enough as it is. I don’t want them going into a full-fledged panic if they have to witness that.” Jared met the eyes of each of his team members before continuing. “Do I make myself clear on this? Does anyone have any questions or concerns about our assignment?” He leaned against the Cougar, his body as relaxed as it could be as he waited for his team to speak up.

“I don’t like this,” Christian spoke up as he surveyed their surroundings. While they were parked near a few trees, once they passed those they would be out in the open. In the Cougar, they would be protected from any type of attack. Once they exited, they would be exposed to anyone who meant them harm. And not having the greatest intel on what they could expect once they were in the thick of things didn’t sit well with him. “We’re essentially walking in there blind. Son, you know that’s not the way to go about this.”

“Well, what we do know is they’re a pack that has been essentially cut off from the outside world. Pellegrino rules with an iron fist. He or Roche are the only ones who leave the pack lands,” Felicia responded to Christian’s concern.

“So, if that’s true, then how did this caller get through to the Council?” Chad questioned, disbelief clearly showing in his features. “We could be walking into a trap.”

“They might be cut off, but I’ve been able to pick up cell phone service as well as cable and satellite hookups,” Felicia answered. “They are living in the same technological century as the rest of us.” She pursed her lips together and turned to regard Chad as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

“Again, this could be a trap,” Chad said with more heat behind his words.

“Be that as it may, we always take that risk,” Jared said, trying to get Chad back on track. “Any time we get sent out, we run the risk of walking into a trap. That’s what we signed up for, that’s part of the job. Any other concerns?” he asked as he made eye contact with his team members.

“Do we know how many omegas are being abused?” Matt asked, a look of concern showing on his face. “Or the state they’re in?” 

“No, but the caller reported forced breeding. How much worse can that be?” Jared asked as he met Matt’s eyes. He could only imagine what was going through Matt’s mind at the moment. Yes, he was an alpha, but the idea of this level of abuse being perpetrated by an alpha on an omega made him sick. He had no idea how Matt was holding it together right now. As a team, they had dealt with some horrible situations, but forced breeding of an omega was unimaginable.

“That’s about as bad as it gets,” Aldis spoke up.

“So what do you want me to do when we get there?” Misha asked. “The usual? Examinations and medical forms?” 

“Yeah. You’ll be stationed at their medical facility. I want you to go through any and all files you find. I want to know just what’s been going on here, and how bad it really is.” Jared shifted, pushing himself off the Cougar. “Alright, everybody back on the bus.” He watched as his team piled back into the Cougar before he and Rich climbed back into the cab to drive the last few miles to Ashland.

Slowly they proceeded into what they considered hostile territory. As soon as they crossed over into the pack land, those who had been out quickly retreated to the safety of their homes. Jared had Rich pull the vehicle to a stop, waiting for anyone to greet them before he left the safety of the cab. He hoped they were less likely to be shot at if one of the packs’ own was standing in harm’s way. 

“What’s the meaning of this?” Sebastian Roche yelled as he made his way out of one of the cabins. He stopped in front of the Cougar, blocking it from moving further. 

Jared surveyed the man standing in front of the vehicle; he was in his late forties, with short dark blond hair, with at least a day’s worth of facial hair on his chin. He was shirtless, giving Jared a good look at his tightly coiled muscles. His blue eyes flashed red for a moment as he looked the Cougar over. 

“Good luck. I’m so glad I’m not in your place,” Rich offered with a sympathetic smile as Jared sighed and then shouldered open the door.

Effortlessly, Jared jumped down from his side of the Cougar, leaving the door open in case he needed to make a hasty retreat. “I’m looking for Mark Pellegrino, alpha of the Ashland pack,” Jared stated and then waited for Roche’s response.

“Who the hell are you? You can’t just come barging in here, scaring our pack members. You have no right to be here!” Roche responded.


	2. Chapter 2

“Sir, I’m Special Agent Padalecki of the Alphas Council of Weres. Earlier today, the council received a call for help. There was a report of abuse; harm being done to omegas. We’re here to respond to it,” Jared explained. 

“This is preposterous!” Roche yelled.

“Be that as it may, we’re still here to investigate this allegation. If it’s unfounded, we’ll report that to the council and then we’ll be on our way. Again, I would like to speak with your pack alpha.”

“I’m his second, Sebastian Roche, and I can assure you that everyone is fine.”

“Well, Mr. Roche, I will still need to speak to your pack alpha, then you and the members of this pack. Once we determine if this accusation is accurate, or not, we can determine the next course of action,” Jared explained. 

“He’s indisposed at the moment. I can speak for him, answer any of your questions,” Roche said in an even tone. 

Jared motioned to Rich, letting him know it was alright to have the team leave the Cougar. “Well, the first question you can answer is where Pellegrino is,” Jared growled out, letting the other alpha know he wasn’t in the mood to be put off any longer. “You can either tell me where I can find him, or I can start knocking on every door until I do.”

Roche growled low in his throat, issuing a warning to Jared and then charged at him. “You think you can come in here and tell me what to do?” He raised his arm, made a fist with his hand, and tried to strike at Jared, only to find himself face-first on the ground with his arm held behind his back by Jared. “Let me up,” he yelled as he struggled against Jared’s hold.

Jared tightened his grip on the man’s arm as he crouched down. “If you continue to struggle, you’re gonna find yourself with a broken arm,” he advised. “Now, let’s try this again. Which cabin is your alpha’s?” 

“Fuck you!” Roche spit out.

“Need a little help there?” Chad asked as he came to stand by Jared.

“Yeah, cuff him,” Jared stated, still not letting go of the grip he had on the man. He waited until Chad had retrieved a set of cuffs and had them on Roche before he let go. “Now, let’s see where your alpha is hiding out.” Jared turned to his team. “Speight, you and Murray load our first detainee in the back of the Cougar. The rest of you, keep your eyes and ears open. I’m gonna knock on a few of these doors and see if I can’t rouse Pellegrino.” Drawing his gun for protection, he turned and started walking toward the first cabin closest to him. As he neared the cabin, the door was thrown open by a male beta. The man looked cautiously at Jared and then the gun in his hands. Jared stopped and regarded the beta standing before him. “Sir, I’m looking for your pack alpha, Mark Pellegrino.”

“He’s no alpha of mine; Rufus was my alpha. You’re from the Council. You want to know where that excuse for an alpha is? Then just follow the screams. The alphas keep some of the omegas who aren’t carrying a pup in one of the last cabins, away from the rest of us. They’re kept chained to their beds . . . it’s disgusting,” the beta said and then looked away from Jared.

“Then why didn’t you do anything to stop it?” Jared demanded.

The beta looked up at him sharply. “How? How would I have done that? With what? We don’t have any weapons here, or access to the outside world. He made us give him our phones, computers, anything we could use to call for help. There was no way any of us, even some of the alphas, could take on Pellegrino and live. We did what we could to just survive.”

Jared nodded his head in understanding. He knew the words the beta had spoken were true. He had seen this happen in other packs where the pack alpha stripped his members of everything, making them live in fear. In some packs, families were separated from each other and threatened with harm in order to keep the members in line. If you feared retaliation against those you loved, you tended to tow the line, not cause a problem, hoping your loved ones would be returned to you. “Will you allow one of my team members to search your cabin?” Jared questioned, not willing to take the beta’s word as gospel. He might be a beta, but he could also be working with Pellegrino, Roche and any other alphas who were involved, and he had just admitted to not only knowing what was going on in this pack, but doing whatever was needed to survive. 

“Yes, of course. I’ll do anything you ask of me, just remove Pellegrino and Roche from power here,” the beta begged. “Fix this pack, make it safe again.”

Jared glanced over his shoulder at his team and motioned for Aldis. 

“Yeah, boss?” Aldis questioned as he joined Jared and the beta. 

“I need you to check out this pack member’s cabin. What’s your name?” Jared asked as he turned his attention back to the beta.

“Liam, sir. It’s Liam Walker,” he confided as he eyed the two alphas standing before him. 

Jared gave a nod of his head. “Well, you’ll need to provide proof of that. This is Aldis. He’s going to check out your ID and your cabin. Then, Matt is going to take your statement. We have Roche detained already. How many other alphas are supposedly involved in this and where are they?”

Liam shifted from foot to foot, clearly agitated by Jared’s question. He opened his mouth to speak, only to snap it shut and then look away from Jared. 

Sensing the man’s unease, Jared placed a hand on his shoulder. “We can’t help if you don’t talk to us. A call for help has already been made. We’re here because of it. Clearly, something’s going on in this pack, something’s wrong here. This is your chance to help right that wrong.”

Liam nodded his head in understanding. He closed his eyes and rested his chin on his chest as he took a deep breath. Opening his eyes, he raised his head to look up at Jared, meeting the alpha’s hazel eyes. “There are three other alphas. Max, Brian, and Arlo. They’re mean, but not as brutal as Pellegrino. We have a few other alphas in the pack. None of them have hurt us. They stayed because they tried to protect us. They've been treated just as badly as the rest of us.”

  
“Are they armed?” Aldis questioned.

“I don’t know. Maybe? I’ve seen Pellegrino with a gun. They usually just use brute force to keep us in line,” Liam explained.

Both alphas nodded in understanding; they had heard this before. “Nothing new there,” Aldis breathed out as he turned to Jared. “So, once I establish he is who he claims, why don’t you take off, and find Pellegrino?”

“Yeah, sounds like a plan,” Jared said in response to Aldis’ suggestion. He turned back to Liam. “Why don’t you get your ID and then you can speak to Matt? He’s a social worker on my team. He’ll need to take a statement from you; what you’ve been through, what you’ve seen since Pellegrino took over.”

“Yeah, sure,” Liam commented and then darted back inside. He returned a few moments later with his wallet, pulling out his license, and offered it to Aldis. 

“Thanks,” Aldis replied as he looked it over. “So, it was reported that members are being held against their will, that you’re not allowed to leave. You have a driver’s license . . .”

Liam cut Aldis off, “Pellegrino started getting paranoid. One night he had Roche, Arlo, Max, and Brian pay a visit to each cabin and they confiscated the keys to every vehicle. The next morning he made the announcement that we were not to leave the pack lands; that it was for our safety.” Liam snorted and then rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“Understood,” Aldis replied as he handed Liam back his license. “Do I have your permission to enter your home and search it?”

Liam regarded the alpha and then laughed. “Well, at least you gave me the courtesy of asking, even though I know it’s your job. But yes, you have my permission.” 

“Liam, why don’t you follow me?” Jared suggested walking back to his team with Liam, leaving Aldis to search Liam’s cabin. “Matt, this is Liam. He’s letting Aldis search his home right now. I’m hoping you can speak with him and take his statement.” He turned back to Liam. “Anything you have to tell us could be helpful.”

Matt stepped forward, offering Liam his hand. “Sure. It’s nice to meet you. Why don’t we step closer to our vehicle so we can talk? It’s not the greatest, but once we know everyone is secure, we’ll be able to find a better place.”

“I can offer you the use of my cabin, once it’s deemed safe,” Liam chuckled and watched as Matt gave him a smile. “So, what do you want to know?”

“How about we start with your name and age and go from there?” Matt suggested. 

As Matt engaged with Liam, Jared met with the remaining members of his team. “According to Liam, there are three other alphas involved. He only gave me their first names: Arlo, Brian and Max. He also said to follow the sounds of screaming in order to find Pellegrino; that omegas are being kept in one of the last of the cabins. Murray, Kane, I want you with me. Speight, Day, keep your eyes on anyone who ventures out. Make sure Roche doesn’t slip away. Once Aldis clears Liam’s cabin, he’s offered to let Matt use it. Collins, stay close in case you’re needed. When Aldis returns, tell him to sit tight in case we need him for backup. Any questions?” he asked as he looked around at his team. When he was met with silence, he nodded his head. “Alright everyone, stay safe.” He turned, leading Kane and Murray away from the Cougar and clustered cabins, down a well-worn footpath to the outer edges of the pack’s land. He stopped to survey their surroundings. The cabins had begun to thin out. His eyes darted back and forth, searching for any potential threat. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he quickly glanced over his shoulder and then in front of himself. “There are three cabins. Let’s make a sweep from right to left. Those trees closest to the cabin on the right will give us some cover, rather than walking out in the open to the one on the left or the middle one. When we get there, Kane, you take the back, make sure no one slips out. Murray, you’ll follow me in.”

“Sounds like a solid plan,” Christian commented.

“Plans can always go to shit, but what’s another day in paradise?” Chad stated.

Without further comments, Jared turned to his right and led them around to the cabin, keeping them behind the tree covering until the last possible moment. As they neared the cabin, they could hear muffled voices and crying. A shrill scream cut through the silence, forcing the three to stop. Jared nodded to Christian and watched as he slipped away, silently making his way around the side of the cabin.

“Alpha, please, have mercy!” a woman begged.

“Mercy? You useless omega whore! The only mercy I’ll grant you is an early death if you don’t produce a pup after I get done with you!” a male voice threatened. 

That was all Jared needed to hear before he and Chad were breaching the cabin door. He gave a hard kick to the middle of the door, forcing it to buckle and give, swinging open to reveal four alphas and at least that many omegas in various states of undress. A moment later, the backdoor was kicked in, swinging on its hinges as Christian stood in the doorway, blocking anyone from trying to escape.

“What the fuck is this?” one of the alphas demanded as he pulled himself off a crying omega. His hands flew into motion as he pulled his pants up, tucking himself in before pulling up the zipper and fastening the button. He looked up at the two intruders, ready to advance on them, but the element of surprise had worked against him and the three alphas with him. Within moments, Jared had the first alpha down on his knees with his hands cuffed behind his back. Chad quickly grabbed another alpha, pulling him off of a screaming omega, barely giving him time to dress before cuffing him and forcing him down onto his knees. Thirty seconds later, Christian had the third alpha in the same position, leaving Jared to deal with the fourth alpha who was sneering at him. 

The alpha stood, giving Jared a defiant look. He snarled at Jared, his blue eyes flashed red, displaying his anger. “What the fuck is the meaning of this? Who the hell are you? Do you know who I am? I’m pack alpha!”

“Mark Pellegrino,” Jared growled as he looked on in disgust at the older alpha. “Yeah, we know who you are. The Alphas Council of Weres received a call for help. There was a report of abuse leveled against you and a few other alphas. Seems the report was accurate.” Jared eyed the frightened and crying omegas. He forced himself to remain calm at the sight of the four women; seeing that they were barely dressed and were chained to the beds they were lying on. He turned his attention back to Pellegrino, knowing he had to deal with him first before he could help the omegas. “We can do this the easy way, where you surrender, or the hard way where we take you down.” Secretly, he hoped for the latter, wanting to inflict as much pain and suffering as he could on an alpha who chose to hurt a member of his own pack.

Pellegrino’s eyes glanced from the omegas to the alphas cuffed and kneeling, only to land on the gun in Jared’s hands; the one leveled at him. Knowing there was no way he would be able to take three armed and most likely highly trained alphas, he shook his head. “You’re making a mistake, one you’re gonna pay for.”

“A mistake?” Jared questioned. “Are you trying to tell me we didn’t find you and your boys abusing omegas? Are you telling me that they willingly allowed you to chain them down and let you do as you wanted with them?” He didn’t bother to hide the sarcasm or disgust in his voice as he spoke to Pellegrino.

“They’re whores, and it’s their duty to satisfy their alpha, any alpha . . .”

Chad snarled at Pellegrino, cutting him off and then stepped closer to Jared. “Let me put a bullet in him,” Chad pleaded. “No one has to know. We can say this piece of shit tried to attack us.”

Jared forced himself not to smile; Chad’s offer was so tempting. He watched as the blood drained from Pellegrino’s face before responding to Chad’s request. “If it was only that easy, I would. But that would cause me to fill out more paperwork than he’s really worth.” Jared nodded to Kane, watching as he stepped forward, with a set of cuffs in one hand, stopping in front of Pellegrino. For a moment it looked like he was going to put up a fight, as he stared at Christian. He finally offered his wrists in defeat before being pushed to his knees. “Pellegrino, you and the alphas involved in the abuse toward these omegas as well as anyone else in your pack, are hereby placed under arrest. According to the Alpha Council of Weres, you are stripped of your rights and will be brought to the council to stand trial. Any evidence found in regard to your crimes can and will be used against you.”

“This is bullshit!” Pellegrino yelled as he stared at Jared.

The sound of a sob tore Jared’s attention away from the kneeling alpha. He turned his attention to the omegas, replaced his gun in its holster, and offered the closest omega a smile. Holding up his hands, he remained where he was, showing her that he wasn’t a threat. “I’m Special Agent Padalecki of the Alphas Council of Weres. With me are Agents Kane and Murray and we’re here to make sure everyone is safe.”

“Please . . . please,” she sobbed as she pointed to her foot.

Jared’s eyes followed her hand, coming to rest on her ankle. Around it was a locked metal cuff attached to a chain. The chain was attached to the metal railing at the foot of the bed, and the metal bed frame was bolted to the floor. He nodded in understanding and then turned back to the alphas. “Where’s the key?” he demanded in a low voice, boarding on an angry growl.

“Fuck you,” Pellegrino hissed back in response.

Christian kneed Pellegrino in the back, “That’s not good enough.”

“Too bad! That’s the answer you’re getting,” the first alpha they had cuffed barked out.

“Well, we know who Roche is, since we already have him in custody, and we know who your pack alpha is, but we don’t know who the rest of you are. Care to share with us who you are?” Kane asked.

“Sure, my name is go fuck yourself,” the alpha said with a laugh.

“Arlo . . . his name is Arlo,” one of the omegas supplied. 

Arlo turned to look at her, “Shut the fuck up, you useless whore!”

“That’s not being very nice,” Christian admonished. “You’re at a disadvantage, here. You might want to remember that. So, Arlo, are you gonna play nice and tell us where the key is to those locks?”

Arlo nodded his head. “Yeah, sure, I’ll tell you where it is. It’s up your ass,” he barked out and then began to laugh. The other cuffed alphas joined in the laughter until another omega spoke up. 

“They never bring the key with them. Since they did this to us, they’ve kept us like this.” She began to cry softly as she rocked back and forth on the bed. She pulled herself up as much as she could, trying to fold in on herself to cover as much of her exposed body as she could. She pointed to one of the alphas with a scar across his cheek. “That one’s name is Max. Silvia gave him that scar a few months ago. We haven’t seen her since. The other one, he’s Brian. He’s the one who . . .”

“Shut up you stupid omega, before you end up like Silvia,” Brian growled. 

Christian stepped in front of Brian. “Just what do you think you’re in a position to do to her or any other member of this pack?” 

Jared turned away before Brian answered. Grabbing his radio, he called for backup. “Hodge, Collins, you’re needed,” he said and then waited for their responses.

“Copy,” Aldis replied. “Where?”

“Follow the path. You’ll see three cabins. We’re in the last one. And bring something that’ll break a lock, or at least a chain,” Jared commented. He didn’t miss Aldis’ ‘Oh, shit’ response, but let it go, knowing he was doing his best to rein in his anger and not just rip out the throats of the alphas he found so offensive.

“What do you need from me?” Misha questioned.

“We have four omegas in need of medical attention, and blankets to cover them in, if nothing else,” Jared explained.

“Copy,” Misha responded, letting the chatter between them die.

Ten minutes later, Aldis and Misha entered the cabin. They stood together, taking in the room and its occupants before them. Hodge met Jared’s eyes and nodded as he walked over and handed the bolt cutters he had taken from the Cougar’s toolbox. “What you asked for,” he stated and looked over at Misha. “Doc’s got the blankets.”

“Here,” Misha said as he offered the omega closest to him a blanket. “Let’s get you covered up.” He distributed the rest of the blankets before opening his medical bag and pulled on a pair of black latex gloves. He knelt down in front of the closest bed and began to speak softly to the omega before him. “I’m Doctor Misha Collins. You can call me Misha, if you’d like. I’m going to need to examine you. I need to determine the extent of your injuries. But first, we’re going to get you out of those chains.” He looked up at Jared as he finished speaking.

“No!” the omega screamed in response. “You don’t touch me!”

Misha scrambled back from the omega in confusion. Standing up he looked at Jared for assistance. Before either could speak, the omega who had named the abusive alphas, Betty as they had learned, spoke up.

“She’s scared of doctors. Brian was our pack doctor,” Betty explained. 

Misha turned to look at the subdued alphas, wondering which one was Brian. It didn’t matter, whichever one he was, he was still a disgusting excuse for not only an alpha, but a doctor. The phrase ‘do no harm’, ran through his mind and he visibly shuddered at the thought that a man of healing willingly hurt those in his care. “Jared, they need to be brought somewhere else. They can’t stay here,” he said as he pointed at the cuffed alphas.

“Agreed,” Jared responded with a nod of his head. “Kane, Murray, and Hodge, take them to the Cougar. We’ll figure out a better arrangement after these omegas are freed and cared for. Once they’re secured, send Matt. I think his presence is needed here.”

“Got it,” Christian replied as he hauled Max to his feet. 

Aldis and Chad pulled Brian and Arlo up. Christian was about to force Pellegrino to his feet when Jared blocked him, reached down and hauled him up. Once they were both standing at their full heights, Jared leaned in and whispered to the other alpha, “They’re trained to shoot to kill, if they have to. So, please, give them a reason. Right now I wouldn’t mind the extra paperwork.” He pulled back and shoved Pellegrino toward Christian with a dark smile when he saw that the color had drained from Pellegrino’s face. He saw the questioning look on Kane’s face and gave him a dimpled smile. “Just giving him some words of advice and a warning. Don’t be afraid to use any means necessary should anyone try to escape.”

Christian returned Jared’s smile. “Got it,” he said as they started to file out of the cabin to make the walk back to the Cougar with their prisoners.


	3. Chapter 3

Once the others were gone, the omegas seemed to relax, slightly. “I’m going to do everything I can to get you free of these chains. Then, I really need our doctor to take a look at you. We need to make sure you’re cared for.” Jared explained. He heard the omega beginning to protest again and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as he was hit by wave after wave of terrified omega scent. It spoke to him, causing his eyes to bleed from hazel to red as the desire to protect, to calm, and to help the scared omegas rose. “Sarah, I can only imagine what you’re feeling, and what you’ve been put through, but Misha would never hurt you. Would it help if you scented him?”

Sarah stared at him wide-eyed, bewildered by the offer. No one had dared to offer that before. “You’d let me? You’d let any of us scent you?” she questioned, knowing this was a sign of offered trust between another Were. 

“Yes, you can scent me as well if this will help calm you. You’ll see that I’m speaking the truth to you. We’re here to stop the abuse. We want to help this pack, not harm you or any other member,” Jared assured her, hoping this would finally gain her trust. He watched as she nodded her head and he moved over to her. “I’m going to sit on the edge of the bed. I won’t touch you.” When she nodded in understanding, he gingerly sat down, waiting for her to move. He felt the bed shift and heard the sound of the chain being dragged across the floor and metal bed frame, but remained motionless.

Sarah leaned forward with short jerking movements, afraid that the alpha sitting next to her was lying to her. Getting up on her knees, she placed a tentative hand on his muscular shoulder, waiting for him to move. When he remained where he was, she brought her face to the back of his head and scented along his neck. She breathed a sigh of relief when she scented alpha, but no underlying hint of arousal. What she scented was what he had honestly told her; that he only wanted to help her. Letting go of him, she moved back. “Okay, now you,” she said as she looked into concerned blue eyes. She watched as Jared stood from the bed and the doctor took his place. She repeated her movements, scenting him. “Beta!” she said in surprise, letting go of him and moving away.

Misha stood from the bed and turned to look at the woman. “You have nothing to fear from me, or anyone on our team. Now, will you allow us to help you?”

Sarah opened her mouth to answer, but stopped as movement from outside caught her attention. “They’re back!” she screamed and began to cry.

“Jared?” Matt called from outside when he heard a woman crying.

“Hold up, Matt,” Jared called out. He turned to the frightened omega with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. That’s Matt. He’s a member of my team. He’s a social worker and an omega. I thought it might make you more comfortable to have him here with you.”

“Omega?” Sarah questioned. 

“Matt, you can come in.” Jared turned to the door and watched as Matt entered. “There are four omegas here who are in need of our help and care.” 

Matt nodded his head in understanding. “What can I do to help?”

“This is Sarah. Would you mind if she scented you?” Jared inquired.

Matt smiled, knowing what Jared was attempting to do; establish trust between those in the room. If they could manage that with one of the abused omegas, then they would most likely be able to gain the trust of the others. “Of course not.” He took a few steps toward the bed and then pointed at it. “May I sit?” When he saw Sarah nod her head yes, he sat down, waiting for her to make the first move when she felt comfortable. He felt the bed shift and then a hand being placed on his shoulder before she leaned in and scented him.

Letting go of Matt, Sarah shifted on the bed and then looked over at the other omegas. “He’s an omega. We can trust them.”

“Thank you, I’m happy to hear that,” Matt commented as he stood up. He turned to Jared, “I was able to take the first of a few statements. I’m sure there will be many to come.” He looked over at the omegas with a sad smile, knowing that when they finally spoke to him their stories would be filled with nothing but horror and anguish. 

“The first thing I need to do is take a few pictures so I can document your mistreatment, after that, I want to get you freed. Then, I would like Misha to examine you as best he can here. Once we’re able to get to the medical cabin, he’ll be able to give you and anyone else a thorough examination. When you feel up to it, Matt will need to take your statements. We’ll document everything we find and everything you tell us,” Jared explained, wanting the omegas to understand exactly what was going to happen. “Are you alright with me taking the pictures I need?” he asked as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He didn’t move until the omegas agreed and then took the pictures he needed before replacing the phone back in his pocket.

“What will happen after that?” Betty questioned after Jared had finished taking the pictures. 

“We’ve already taken the alphas into custody. They will remain that way until they’re transported to the council to stand trial for their crimes,” Jared stated.

“And us? What happens to us?” Betty inquired.

“We can deal with that as it comes. Usually, those who have been abused have a choice. They can stay in their pack once the abusers are removed and the pack is healthy again. Or, they can relocate. You don’t have to make any decisions now,” Jared said as he picked up the bolt cutters and walked toward the bed. “I need you to stay as still as possible while I work on getting you freed,” he explained as he knelt down at the foot of the bed to examine the cuff, lock, and chain. 

As he picked up the chain, his radio went off. Christian’s voice could be heard calling for him. He gave Betty an apologetic smile as he dropped the bolt cutters to respond to Kane’s call. “Padalecki.”

“Jared, we’ve got them secured in the Cougar for now. What do you want us to do next?” Christian questioned.

“Have Speight and Day remain where they are, watching over the detainees. You, Murray, and Hodge fan out and start knocking on doors. Search any cabin you can and make note of those who refuse so we can circle back later.”

“Copy, that,” Christian replied, ending their exchange. He turned to the rest of the team, relaying Jared’s orders before he, Murray, and Hodge took off in different directions to follow through with Jared’s directive.

Jared turned his attention back to the chained omega, trying to figure out which would work better, breaking the lock or the chain. Once he had that figured out, he went to work on getting the omegas freed so Misha could make sure they were able to be moved from that cabin to the pack’s medical cabin. As he freed the last omega, he piled the chains, leaving them by the cabin’s door in case he needed to use them later. As Misha gave the all-clear to move the now freed omegas, Jared and Matt offered to help facilitate that, hoping to make it as easy on the four omegas as possible. 

Once Misha had his new patients situated in the medical cabin, he looked at Jared and Matt. “I think for the time being, they’re going to feel more comfortable with you both here. After I examine each patient, you can speak to her, get her story as to what’s been happening to the pack and what she’s gone through. I get the feeling that they’re willing to talk.”

Nodding his head, Jared grabbed a chair and sat down. “What do you need us to do?” 

“Right now, just sit tight and wait for me to call you over,” Misha said as he walked away to tend to the first of his patients. 

Jared turned his attention to Matt. “How are you holding up?” he questioned, looking the dark-haired man over. He watched as Matt turned his blue eyes on him and he forced himself not to wince when he saw the pain in them. “You know all we can do is our best to make sure this never happens again. We’ll never be able to stamp out abuse completely, but we can and will do whatever it takes to make things right for those the abuse has happened too.”

“Sometimes it doesn’t make it any better,” Matt responded as he sat down across from Jared. “There will always be someone in authority who thinks it’s alright to use it to their advantage.” Matt looked at Jared, took a deep breath and continued. “It’s always the omegas who are the first to suffer. We’re seen as weak; that we’re ruled by our biology. Look what it took you to get me on your team. And, if you hadn’t stood your ground, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Matt, not everyone sees an omega like that. I don’t,” Jared assured Matt, knowing his friend and team member needed that right then. “No one on our team sees you that way, either.”

All Matt could do was nod his head in response as he looked away from Jared. He watched Misha tend to the first omega, Betty, and wondered how he could help her, and how she and the others would ever truly recover from the horrors they had lived through. At that moment, he said a silent prayer to whatever God was listening to give him the strength to get through this, to be able to hear their stories, and help in any way he could.

Twenty minutes later, Misha walked back over to Jared and Matt. “The abuse . . .” He stopped, needing to take a moment to center himself before he continued. “They were raped daily. Betty is in the early stage of her third pregnancy.”

“Their pups?” Matt asked.

Misha shrugged. “Once they gave birth, the pups were taken from them. They were most likely either sold or given to others in the pack to raise as their own.” Misha said in a voice barely above a whisper. 

“Pellegrino is going to pay,” Jared said in a dark tone, letting both men know how angry he was at what he was hearing. “Document everything. I don’t care how trivial it may seem. I don’t want these bastards seeing the light of day. Ever!” The only thing stopping him from standing up and throwing his chair against the wall in his rage at what had been happening to this pack was the knowledge that he would frighten the omegas. He wouldn’t do that to them. He and his team were there to protect them, not further scare them.

“Don’t worry, Jared, we’ll do everything we can to nail those bastards,” Misha replied. “Now, if you can remain calm, Betty is ready to talk.”

“Sorry,” Jared said in a low voice as he stood to his full height, taking several breaths to calm himself before he and Matt spoke with Betty. He didn’t want her scenting an angry alpha, it would only cause her to panic.


	4. Chapter 4

Jensen heard movement from outside. At first, he paid no attention to it until the sound grew closer. He looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. He had no sense of time; where he was, it was always dark. He cocked his head to the side, listening for the unfamiliar sound. He pressed himself further back into the darkness of his cage, feeling the cold metal of the bars bite into his skin. He took comfort in that; the feeling grounded him. Whoever was coming to get him would have to enter his cage; that at least gave him a slight advantage. They would have to fight to get him out. 

Jensen scented the air, breathing in the unfamiliar smell of the man before he entered the room.  _ Alpha _ his mind screamed. He growled low in his throat, issuing a warning to the alpha to leave him alone. He wasn’t familiar with this alpha’s scent, but he was an alpha all the same and he had learned never to trust an alpha. He couldn’t trust anyone. Something bright caught him off guard and then he heard the alpha speaking, he just couldn’t respond. His mind was muddled and he couldn’t figure out what was being said to him. All he could do was hiss in response, issuing another warning to the alpha to stay away. 

To Christian, as he stood looking at the outside of the cabin before he made his way inside, it appeared to be a normal building. Even as he walked through the rooms of Pellegrino’s cabin, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It wasn’t until Christian entered the last room and looked around that he saw anything strange. He noticed the cage in the room, set in a corner and his face screwed up in confusion, wondering why there would be a metal cage in the otherwise empty room. A single light bulb, extending from a wire that hung just outside the door offered little illumination into the room. He took a breath and coughed; the room smelled stale, like it hadn’t been cleaned in a while. 

He was about to move on when he heard a low growl emanating from somewhere within the room. He drew his gun from his belt along with a small flashlight. He leveled both at the cage and gasped at what he saw. “What the fuck is this shit?” Christian murmured at the sight before him, only to be met with a hiss in response to his question. Pressed against the corner of the cage was a crouched body. At first, it didn’t move. Christian couldn’t tell if it was male or female as its head remained down, hair covering its face. But it was growling and hissing at him, clearly issuing a warning for him to stay away. 

“Hey, there,” Chris drawled out and watched as the body moved, trying to shuffle back further even though there was nowhere to go. Christian sniffed the room and wondered why he’d missed the scent before:  _ omega _ . Maybe it was because this being was covered in filth, he thought to himself. He took a step forward and the creature looked up, growling - a clear warning to him - stay away. “Not gonna hurt you,” he said as he lowered his gun, but kept the light so he could assess what was before him.

They had heard rumors of abused pack members. That was why he and the team were here - to assess the truth of these rumors. From the horrors they had already encountered, the rumors were true. The younger members were being abused, primarily omegas. He let out a sharp intake of breath as he watched the omega move, lifting its head in defiance.  _ Male _ . A male omega. “Shit,” he let out in astonishment. Now he knew why there was a cage, and he understood why the omega was in it. In some packs, male omegas were rare. 

The growling caught his attention again and he moved the light up, taking in the man. He was dirty, his face, arms, and legs covered in what he hoped was just dirt, but doubted that it was. He was dressed in pants, or at least the remnants of what used to be pants and a ripped shirt. He watched as the omega flexed his arms, muscles rippling. Somehow he - because Christian hadn’t gotten a name, or a word out of him yet - had been able to maintain some muscle mass, despite looking like he had missed quite a few meals. He figured it was from using the bars of the cage as some sort of makeshift gym. He knew that was what he would have done if he had been caged. 

Christian stepped closer, trying to get a better look at the omega and was met with a louder growl. He was able to see that its hair, reddish-brown in color, was matted to his skull. Green eyes regarded him with a suspicious look. Christian watched those eyes flick from his hands and then to the lock on the cage. He knew the omega was regarding him, trying to calculate what he was going to do so he could counteract his movements and protect himself from what he saw as a possible threat.

Christian lowered the light so he wasn’t shining it in the omega’s eyes and returned the gun to his side holster, noting how the omega tracked his every movement. He took a shallow breath, scenting the fear and anger rolling off of the man still in the cage. He reached out to touch the lock, needing to see what he had to do to get the damn thing open so he could get the omega out. He was met with a hiss and then a growl before the omega darted forth, an arm moving through the bar and trying to swipe at him. He let the lock drop from his hand as he stepped back, replacing the flashlight on his utility belt. He raised his hands, showing the omega that he was no longer touching anything relating to the cage. 

“Shit, I’m getting too old for this,” Christian muttered before turning to the open door, knowing there was no way he could handle this situation alone. He also knew he wasn’t the one who could actually deal with what he had found in the room. Stepping back into the hall, he grabbed his radio, pressing the button to speak into it. “Jared, I need you in Pellegrino’s house.” He released the button and heard static and then crackling before Jared spoke.

“Kinda busy here, Christian,” Jared responded. “Can you handle this on your own?”

Christian turned and looked back into the room to see that the omega was crouched down in front of the cage’s door, watching him. When he didn’t respond to Jared, he heard Jared speaking to him over the radio and watched as the omega placed his hands on the bars and pulled himself up. It seemed like the omega was listening intently to the conversation. “No, there’s something you need to see.”

“Can it wait?” Jared questioned. 

Christian watched as the omega reached out a hand through the bars, seemingly to beckon to him. He smirked at the situation. “That’s a negative,” Christian replied. 

“Do you need me to send Aldis or Chad?” Jared questioned.

Christian watched as the omega cocked his head, making it clear that he was listening to them. “No, I think this is something you need to see for yourself.”

“Be there when I can,” Jared responded.

“Copy, that,” Christian replied and then replaced his radio on his belt. He heard the omega hiss and he had to force himself to suppress his chuckle. He took a few steps into the room and watched as the omega looked past him, clearly looking for the person he had been speaking to. “Yeah, you were listening, weren’t you?” He was met with another hiss in response to his question. He smiled as he realized what was going on. “You’re looking for the voice, aren’t you?” He watched as the omega bared his teeth at him and then backed away from the bars, this time making him chuckle. “Yeah, Jared, my boss, he’s a smooth talker. You’ll be meeting him soon enough.” He watched as the omega seemed to show interest in this by taking a step forward. He was about to say something to the omega when his radio gave a squawk and then Aldis’ voice could be heard speaking. He heard the omega growling and he reached to turn the volume down. “Calm down, I get it, I’m not a fan of his voice either.”

“Christian, who the hell are you talking to?” Jared called out as he walked into the room. He stopped and stared at the cage and the person in it before he forced his eyes off it and focused them on Christian. “What the fuck?” he asked in astonishment. Jared stood next to Christian in the darkened room, slowly he inched his way over to the wall, feeling for a light switch. He needed to see what they were dealing with and he couldn’t do that in the dark or with just a flashlight. Finding the switch, he flipped it up, flooding the dark room with soft light. After his eyes had adjusted to the light, he turned to survey the room. The room was empty except for the cage and the man locked inside. 

Jared took a step closer to the cage, watching the person inside as he did. He heard a low growl and then a hiss and he stopped, understanding that he was most likely frightening the person. He raised his hands slowly, showing the person he was unarmed. “Not gonna hurt you,” he said in a soft voice and watched as the person took a tentative step forward, still growling a warning to him. “My name is Jared, this is Christian,” he said as he jerked his head in Christian’s direction. “What’s yours?” He took another step closer scenting the room as he did and was hit with an underlying sweetness nearly covered by the staleness of the room. His eyes widened in surprise.  _ Omega _ . Inside the cage was a male omega. “We need to get the cage unlocked.”

“Jared, are you sure that’s a good idea, man? I mean look at him,” Christian said as he swept his hand at the cage, eyeing the omega as he did. He didn’t miss the omega’s reaction as he bared his teeth and then growled at them. “Look at him, he’s practically feral.” 

Jared turned his attention to the cowering and clearly upset omega in the cage. He watched as he lifted his head up, green eyes meeting his and for the briefest of moments, he saw pain and fear in them. Then, he did the only thing he could think of and smiled at him, trying to reassure him. “Everything’s going to be alright. We’re gonna get you out of this cage and get you medical treatment. We’re here, me and my team, to make sure no one else hurts you or anyone else in the pack.” 

“Maybe it would be kinder to put him down,” Christian murmured. 

“Christian, he can hear you,” Jared responded as he heard the omega growl and hiss in response to their voices. “He’s scared.”

“Yeah? Well, just what are you gonna do? Huh? You think if we unlock the cage he’s just gonna be calm? You think he’s gonna let anyone near him?” Christian asked, bringing up a few key points.

Jared turned away from the cage to look Christian in the eyes. “He’s an abused omega. He’s in need of our help, whatever that might be.” But Christian had made a good point; the omega was nearly feral and most likely would try to protect himself when they opened the cage. Slowly, he reached into one of the side pockets of his cargo pants to retrieve his tranquilizer gun in case he needed it. “We have to help him, you know that, as well as I do.”

“Jared, we might be out of our element here,” Christian stated as he took a few steps toward the cage, raising his hand as he did to rub his fingers over his forehead. 

As Jared turned back to look at the cage, he saw the omega shifting his attention to Christian as he moved. In that instance, the omega growled and lunged at them. His instincts took over, needing to protect his team member, Jared raised the tranq gun and fired one shot, dropping the omega to the floor. He heard a soft whimper of pain from the omega and then saw green eyes looking up at him before they closed as the drug took effect. His breath hitched in his throat as he thought about the look in the omega’s eyes -  _ betrayal _ .

“Christ, Jared, you still think he can be helped? He tried to attack us from within a metal cage. A cage, Jared. He’s in a cage for a reason!” Christian voiced as he looked at the now unconscious omega. 

Funny thing was, he didn’t feel like the omega was trying to attack him. The attack seemed as if it had been directed at Christian. “We’re here to protect the abused pack members, and that includes  _ him _ ,” Jared stated as he slid his gun back into his pocket. “We just have to figure out who he is and why he was being kept in a cage like an animal.” 

“Well, at least Misha can examine him now without the possibility of bodily harm being done to him,” Christian commented. 

“Yeah, get him in here,” Jared requested, not taking his eyes off the sedated omega.

Christian started to withdraw his radio to call for Misha when Jared stopped him. “No, I don’t want this broadcasted to the others right now.” He saw the perplexed look on Christian’s face. “Humor me.” 

Christian chose to refrain from making any further comments on Jared’s decision to have them remain silent about the omega. Jared would tell him why he had done that in his own time. “Sure, whatever you want,” Christian mumbled as he made his way out of the room. 


	5. Chapter 5

Once the man was down and out, Jared stepped forward, wanting a better look at the metal cage. He saw that it was bolted to the floor, with the locked door being the only way in or out. He placed his hand on the lock and tugged at it. There was no give, only the clanking sound of metal grinding against metal. Letting the lock go, he grabbed his gun, raised it, and brought the butt of his gun down on it. He watched in satisfaction as the metal dented. Raising his gun again, he repeated his movements over and over until the lock had broken under his onslaught. He replaced his gun in his holster and pulled at the lock, separating the broken pieces and tossing them with a thunk to the floor. He slowly pulled open the door, keeping his eyes on the unconscious man as he did, hoping it won’t be too long before Christian returned with Misha in tow. 

Misha scrubbed his hands over his face. He was bleary-eyed after scanning through so many of the files he’d found in the cabin the pack had been using as a medical bay. He knew he’d have to read through them thoroughly at some point, but the one he was currently looking over brought out emotions he’d long since thought he’d been able to bury. He felt a wave of anger wash over him as he looked down at the few pictures of the omegas he’d been able to put to the files at his fingertips. All were female and all had been brought to the pack against their will. He flipped through the file again before tossing it aside, closing his eyes against the words dancing in front of him; forced breeding, captivity, kidnapping . . . The list of crimes against these omegas was long. He was ashamed to call this pack of abusive alphas Weres. They didn’t deserve that label. His thoughts were brought back into focus when he heard Christian calling for him. He looked up as the man stepped into the room.

“You’re needed. We found another omega. Jared had to tranq him,” Christian said in a rush of words.

“Him? Did you say, him?”

“Yeah! What, did your ears lap over? Him,” Christian grumbled.

“A male omega?” Misha stood, pushing the chair away from himself as he turned to another pile  of files. He’d just seen something, a file, but had dismissed it thinking it was a flight of fancy from the mad man who had the run of the medical cabin. He found the file he’d been looking for as Christian’s voice caught him off guard.

“Misha, what are you doing? Grab your damn bag. You’re needed.”

Misha looked up at Christian as he opened the file, searching for something he had read and dismissed. “His eyes, what color are they? Did you notice?” Misha asked urgently.

Christian shrugged as he tried to remember. “I don't know, maybe green? I wasn't really paying attention. It's not like I want to date him.”

“Think Christian, were they green?” Misha demanded.

With a shake of his head Christian answered him, “Yeah, they were green. Happy? Can we go now?”

Muttering to himself Misha grabbed his medical kit and followed Christian out of the building and to the cabin at the edge of the pack land. He surveyed the area as they walked; the pack land and the surrounding cabins had been kept in good condition. It was what they had found inside some of the cabins that showed them the true horrors hidden behind the seemingly idyllic location. He was grateful to whoever had placed the anonymous call to the council. They had gotten there just in time to stop any more of the transgressions being done to the omegas.

“Pick it up, will ya?” Christian growled out to the beta who trailed behind him. 

Silently they made their way to the cabin, stopping when Christian reached for the doorknob. He glanced back at Misha, “Brace yourself. If you thought what we saw earlier was bad . . . well, that was nothing compared to this.” Kane opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Misha. 

Misha looked around, seeing just another ordinary cabin. He raised an eyebrow at Christian. He started to open his mouth, ready to ask Christian if this was a joke when Christian raised his hand, stopping him from speaking. 

Christian waved a hand at him. “This way,” he said as he led the doctor through a long hallway to one of the other rooms - one that should have been a bedroom. He heard Misha’s sharp intake of breath as he saw the cage. He turned and watched as the doctor’s eyes widened in surprise before narrowing at what was before him, the subdued omega. 

“Bloody hell, you didn’t tell me it was this fucking bad!” Misha breathed out.

Jared had managed to break the lock on the cage and had the door open. He was about to enter when he heard the other men’s voices.

“What are you doing? You got a death wish there Jared?” Christian questioned stopping Jared’s movements. 

“He’s out cold, tranqed his ass, remember? You losing your grip or what, Christian?” Jared smiled at his second in command, his dimples showing in full force.

“You’re an ass,” Christian hissed at him.

“No, you love my ass.” Jared retorted back at him.

“As amusing as this banter is between you two, I need to be able to assess my patient,” Misha said, letting his annoyance with the two alphas show. 

“As you wish, Doc,” Jared said as he pulled the door to the cage open and stepped aside. He pulled his phone out and took several pictures of the man inside before allowing Misha in with him. 

Misha pushed past him, entering the cage and knelt by the unconscious man laying on the floor. He pulled out a pair of latex gloves and donned them before touching the man. He looked up at the other two. “I’m gonna need some help rolling him over,” he said as he looked back at his bag and pulled out another pair of gloves. As Jared entered the cage, he handed them to him. “Put those on. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here.”

“Yeah, okay.” Jared snagged the gloves and pulled them on before kneeling next to Misha. “What do you want me to do?”

“Place your hands under his shoulders, try to support his head as best as you can as we roll him over. I need to make sure he’s breathing and then go from there.” Together they managed to roll the omega over onto his back so Misha could start his examination. He checked the man’s airways, making sure he was breathing without difficulty before he looked up at Christian. “Christian, hand me my med kit.” He pointed to the bag he had left outside of the cage. 

“Here,” Christian said as he picked it up, stepping inside the cage briefly to hand the requested bag before stepping back out. The idea of being in the cage didn’t sit well with him. “Anything else you need?”

“Can you find something to fill with warm soapy water, a washcloth and towels? I need to get him clean,” Misha commented.

“What am I, your nurse?” Christian grumbled.

“Hell no! You’re not sexy enough for me to even consider you being my nurse,” Misha shot back.

“No one appreciates me,” Christian gripped.

“That’s not true, I’d really appreciate you if you got me what I just asked you for,” Misha replied with a cheeky smile. He heard Christian growl at him before he disappeared from the room. Misha pulled his bag closer to him, opened it, and began to search through it until he found the items he needed. He handed a clipboard with a patient intake form on it to Jared. “You get to play my lovely assistant.” 

“Just what I’ve always dreamed about,” Jared joked as he scanned the form. “Christian is going to be so jealous.”

“About what?” Christian asked as he walked into the room carrying the items Misha had requested.

“I get to be the doc’s lovely assistant,” Jared replied with a laugh and then batted his eyes at Christian.

Christian rolled his eyes at Jared. “Yeah? Well, you’re welcome to the job. Do you need anything else from me?”

“Not at the moment, but stick around in case I do,” Misha answered before he rattled off the omega’s vitals, indicating for Jared to record them. Once he had determined that the omega had no visible injuries that needed his immediate attention, he began to examine him from head to toe. The first thing he checked was the color of the man’s eyes, needing to satisfy his own curiosity. Christian had been right; his eyes were green. Whoever this man was, he was one of the rarest of omegas. “Surprisingly, his teeth are in good shape,” Misha commented. “He’s malnourished. And in need of a bath,” he said as he wrinkled his nose. 

“I take it that’s why you wanted the soapy water,” Jared confirmed.

“Yeah, I’m gonna cut these rags off him.” Looking up at Christian, he smiled at him. “Could you find me something to get him dressed in once I get him cleaned up?”

Christian rolled his eyes at Misha before leaving the room again in search of what he had requested. He reappeared a few minutes later holding out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. “Will these do?”

Jared felt his face heat as he looked at the nearly naked man. He closed his eyes and turned away as he felt his cock twitch in interest. It was only because he hadn’t gotten laid in a few months, he told himself, trying to remain professional as he sat there, less than two feet away from the sedated and mostly naked man. The man needed their care and protection, nothing more. 

“Yeah, thanks,” Misha said as he glanced up at Christian and then back down at his patient. “I’m going to have to cut his hair. There’s no way I can leave it like this. It’s matted and I need to make sure he’s clean and doesn’t have lice or wounds that I haven’t seen. I’ll also need to trim his nails; they aren’t bad, it’s more a precaution than anything else,” he sighed softly. 

“Do what you have to,” Jared confirmed, sitting back to give Misha the room he needed to work. He watched as Misha grabbed his scissors and began to cut away the matted hair that had been covering the man’s face. He peered over at the man, intrigued to see what he actually looked like without the long hair. 

“Jared, help me turn him so I can get the back of his head.”

“Sure, Misha.” Jared forced himself to move toward the man, reminding himself that he was only there to assist Misha. His reaction to seeing the nearly naked man, was only that, a biological reaction, one he would never act on. Everyone’s emotions were running high due to what they had discovered, that was the only reason he had found the man appealing, it certainly wasn’t because he had a warm body against his own. 

When Misha was satisfied with his hairdressing skills, he went to work on cutting away the remnants of clothing the man had been dressed in before beginning to bathe him. It took several trips back and forth to the bathroom to replace the dirty water with clean water before Misha was satisfied that the man was clean enough to be dressed in actual clothing. “Aside from being in the state he was found in, he’s relatively healthy, which is surprising, considering he’s in a cage. He means something to someone,” Misha commented, and then continued on, not giving Jared or Christian a chance to respond. “I’d like to see him put some weight on, but his muscles are well defined. Did he say anything to you when you found him?”

“No, he just growled or hissed. Then he came at us,” Christian answered.

“I tranqed him, more for his safety than anything else,” Jared supplied.

“Well, he’s definitely an omega,” Misha confirmed as he repacked his bag, “a green-eyed omega.”

“Yeah, we already knew that,” Christian replied hotly.

“Christian, why don’t you go and see to our delightful detainees. See if you can find out who this is and why they had him in a cage,” Jared suggested.

“Sure thing. Am I keeping that quiet as well?”

“For the time being, yeah. I think it’s best until we figure everything out,” Jared said, dismissing Christian. 

“Alright, I’ve done everything I can for him for now.” Misha sighed. “I’m gonna stay here for a little while. I want to make sure he doesn’t have any issues waking from the tranquilizer.”

Eyeing the unconscious man, Jared nodded. He stood up, grabbed the trash, and moved out of the cage. He left the room in search of a trash barrel to discard the hair and clothing in before returning. He felt the need to be in the room with the man; he wanted to be there when he woke up. The only thing he could do was sit and wait for the tranq’s effects to wear off, he thought as he sank to the floor, trying to get as comfortable as he could until that happened. He shifted until he was sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him, a few feet away from Misha, giving him the space he needed as Misha pulled out a file from his bag and began to read through it. 

Misha sat with his back against the wall as he looked down at the open file spread out in front of him. He picked up the picture that had been stapled to the last page. He examined it, looking at it and then back to the sleeping man in the cage. “Jared, I think I might know who this is. And, if I’m right, then this is bad. Really bad. What they did to him . . . they tortured him. They tried to force him into having a heat so they could breed him.” Looking up, he saw Jared tense, squaring his jaw.

Jared turned to him, anger flashing in his hazel eyes. For just a moment, his eyes turned red before he reined in his anger. 

“They didn’t understand. A male omega is similar to that of a female in a lot of ways. They don’t grow facial hair, they go into heat, are able to carry a pup, nurse their pup. But a green-eyed male omega is different from a female or male omega, that’s why they’re so rare. But they knew what a rarity they had. They killed his parents and kidnapped him,” Misha took a deep breath as he shuffled a few papers around. “For someone with a medical background, this doctor didn’t seem to remember the basic biological differences between a female and male omega as opposed to a male omega with green eyes. You can’t force a heat onto one. They only go into heat when they find their mate. There was no way they would have been able to breed him. They injected him with silver, hoping to weaken him. When that didn’t work, they started to starve him. He fought. He actually inflicted quite a lot of damage on any alpha who came near him. That’s why they caged him. They had hoped by doing that they would break him. They only succeeded in creating what you see now, this nearly feral omega.”

“Can he be helped?” Jared asked, more to himself than Misha. He looked over at the sleeping man, not taking his eyes away from him. He felt such sorrow for him. He felt himself bristle, the alpha in him wanting to comfort the hurt omega. 

“I’m not sure. He’s been kept this way for nearly fourteen years. They took him when he was nine. The first year, he was kept locked up with other omegas until the pack alpha started breeding all of the omegas. I’ve really never seen anything like this. This is the very definition of torture. I’m ashamed to call these criminals Weres,” Misha commented before he went back to reading the file. 

“You said you think you know who he is,” Jared turned slightly to the doctor, looking over at him.

“Yes, if I’m right, his name is Jensen Ackles. At first, I thought this file belonged to another of the female omegas,” he said as he held up the file folder containing the paperwork on the man in the cage. “But reading this over, even though they don’t really refer to the omega in any particular way, whether male or female, the description of him matches up; omega, green eyes, dark, almost reddish-blond hair, pale skin, freckles. Also, there’s a photo. It’s not the greatest, but I think it’s him around the time he was taken.”

Jared huffed in response. “I’m gonna want to see that.” 

“Of course, Jared.” Misha slid the file over to him before getting up. “Don’t get too attached,” Misha said as he laid a hand on Jared’s shoulder. 

“Never, this is just like any other job we’ve worked. We go in, determine if there’s anything for us to do, do it, and then leave after the pack has been rehabilitated. This isn’t any different,” Jared murmured as he opened the file Misha had given him. He looked up at Misha and gave him a tight smile. “You can take off if you want. He’s gonna be out for a while. That tranq has a long-lasting effect.”

“Whatever you say, Jared. Whatever you say.” Misha stood and stretched, working the kinks out of his muscles. “Call me when he wakes,” he said before he turned and walked quietly out of the room, leaving Jared to read over the horror that had been recorded in Jensen’s file. 

Jared shifted until he was sitting cross-legged as he flipped to the first page and began to read over the meticulous recording of what the alpha and the pack doctor had done to Jensen. He had been traumatized by being forced to watch as his parents had been killed right before he had been taken. They had drugged him, starved him, beat him, injected him with hormones hoping to bring on his heat. When that hadn’t worked on him, they had injected him with silver. The pain that had caused would have been pure agony, making it feel like he was burning from the inside out. He would have clawed at his own skin, trying to get the silver running through his veins out. He would have been running a fever as his body tried to fight the poison in his system. He would have been too sick to keep any food down, if they had tried to feed him. 

By the time he was done reading through the file, he was fighting back the bile that rose in his throat. It was a wonder Jensen had survived at all, especially at such a young age, he thought as he looked at the unconscious man in the cage.

As he closed the file, he made a decision, one he knew would most likely be met with surprise and opposition; he would stay in the room with Jensen whenever he wasn’t needed elsewhere dealing with the pack and their detainees. He wanted Jensen to understand that not all alphas were cruel, uncaring, or abusive. With that decision made, he grabbed his radio and called for his team to meet him in the cabin. It was time to tell them about Jensen while he was still unconscious.

He watched as his team assembled in the front room. “First, someone give me a status report about our charming detainees.”

Rich stepped forward, wearing a wide grin on his face. “They’re securely locked away in the Cougar, and none too happy about it. The only way they’re getting out is if I let them out.” He rocked on the balls of his feet, clearly happy at the predicament the alphas found themselves in. 

“Good, that’ll work for the time being, but we’re gonna have to find a secure location to keep them. I don’t want to give them any ammunition to use against us, claiming unfair treatment, when the time comes for them to go before the council. Maybe we can make use of the chains they used on the four omegas. I left them in the cabin. Christian, can you find an ideal place we can use to house our detainees?”

“Sure thing, we can use the meeting hall as our base of operations and jail,” Christian grumbled, still not happy with his exchange with Jared earlier. He didn’t like keeping things from the team. “Do you want a status report regarding the pack?” He watched as Jared nodded his head. “We’ve only been able to search about ten of the cabins. A lot of the pack members aren’t willing to let us in. They’re fearful of us.”

“Okay, let’s take the night to let them settle down. Hopefully, once they realize we’re here to help, they’ll be willing to work with us.” Jared heard their murmurs and then had Matt and Misha fill the team in on what they had been dealing with. “Anyone have anything else? Felicia, what’s the status of communication in or out of this place?”

“Pellegrino had the telephone wires and TV cable wires cut to the area. It’s gonna take a crew coming in here and rewiring the entire place before they have access. There is a signal coming from this cabin, so he must have some type of dish system that he’s been using. I’ve been able to piggyback onto that so we can contact the council,” Felicia reported with a wide smile. 

“Good, we’re not cut off completely.” Jared took a look at his team, asking again, “Anyone have anything else they need to report?” He watched as they shook their heads ‘no’ before speaking again. “There’s been a development that I’ve kept from you.” His team began to ask questions and he raised his hand, stopping them. “When Christian made a sweep of this cabin, he found something. I made the decision to have us stay quiet until I had more facts. In the last room, a cage that has been bolted to the floor was discovered.” He took a moment to let his words sink in before continuing. “Inside the cage, we discovered an omega, a green-eyed, male omega being kept against his will.”

“Holy shit!” Chad exploded. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Those sick fuckers!” 

“Jesus Christ,” Aldis breathed out.

“Is he okay?” Felicia asked.

“Where is he? Can I speak with him?” Matt questioned as he stepped forward.

“Why was he being kept in a cage?” Rich inquired.

Jared held up his hands, quieting everyone. “His name is Jensen and he’s nearly feral. He was extremely agitated when Christian and I were in the room and despite the cage, he lunged at us and I had to tranq him. Misha’s checked him out. He’s underweight, but appears alright otherwise and he’s sleeping off the drug. As for why he was in a cage, it’s because of what he’s been through. They killed his parents, abducted him, and then tried to force him to go into heat at the age of fifteen. They essentially tortured him. I’ve made the decision to stay here with him. I want him to understand that not all alphas are like Pellegrino. I’m going to need some help with that. The only thing in the room is the cage.”

“What do you need us to do?” Felicia inquired as she met Jared’s eyes and offered him a smile.

“I need mattresses, blankets, pillows, and clothes. I want to give him a mattress to sleep on. He has nothing. When he was found, he was barely dressed. Then, I’d like everyone to go about their business as we normally would.”

As his team dispersed to search the cabin for the requested items, Matt pulled him aside. “I’m not exactly comfortable with this. I think I should be the one to stay with him. I know you mean well, but if he was abused by alphas, do you really think he wants to wake up to find another alpha in the room with him?”

“Matt, I hear you. Look, I’ll make a deal with you. If he’s agitated with my presence, then I’ll have you stay with him.”

“I still don’t like it, but alright,” Matt grudgingly agreed, stepping aside as Misha and Christian carried in one twin-sized mattress followed by Chad and Aldis carrying in a second one. Felicia and Rich appeared a few moments later carrying blankets, pillows, and clothing.

“Where do you want these?” Christian grunted.

Jared turned and led them back to the room. He didn’t miss the gasps from his team as those who had yet to see Jensen took in the sight before them. He chose to ignore everything as he motioned for Christian and Misha to place one mattress on the floor a few feet away from the cage. “I’m gonna need someone’s help with Jensen. We’ll pick him up, get the mattress in, and then place him on it.” Together he and Christian, with Misha supervising them, picked Jensen up, placed the mattress inside the cage, and then put him down on top of it. 

“Why not just have him sleep on the mattress outside the cage?” Chad questioned.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea right now,” Jared answered as he eyed Jensen before he placed a pillow under his head and covered him with a blanket. 

“I have to agree with Jared. I think removing him from what he’s been used to will only cause him more trauma. He may be upset by the little changes we’ve made when he comes to, but I think he’ll deal better with that than waking up to something completely unfamiliar to him,” Misha stated.

“Well, you’re the doctor,” Chad commented. 

Stepping out of the cage, Jared gave Misha a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

“Anything else you need?” Aldis asked.

“Just my pack and duffle bag, if you don’t mind. I need to start on my field notes for JD.”

“I’m on it,” Aldis said over his shoulder as he left the cabin followed by Rich, Felicia, and Chad.

Turning to Christian, Jared said, “When Aldis gets back, I want you, him, and Chad to relocate the detainees. Have Rich help. I want two men on them at all times.”

“Understood,” Christian replied.

“Something on your mind?” Jared questioned.

“I’m not all that thrilled with you staying here with him,” Christian answered as he pointed at Jensen. “We don’t know anything about him. We still don’t know why he was in the cage.”

“I appreciate your concern,” Jared replied and then placed a hand on Christian’s shoulder. “But I really don’t think I have anything to worry about.”

“Whatever you say,” was Christian’s response. He was stopped from saying anything further when Aldis entered the room carrying Jared pack.

“Here you go,” Aldis said as he handed Jared his pack. “Anything else?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks, by the way.”

Aldis nodded his head in response as Christian placed a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, we’ve still got work to do. You, me, Rich, and Chad need to relocate our new friends. Teams of two need to be on them at all times,” he explained as they walked out of the cabin to fulfill their duty.

“I’m going back to the medical cabin. I don’t want to leave my patients alone much longer. Of course, despite my better judgment, I’ll also need to take a look at those alphas. I need to make sure they’re in good health. Such a shame,” Misha commented and then offered Jared a cheeky smile before leaving Jared and Matt alone in the main room.

Shaking his head, Jared turned to regard Matt. He knew something was bothering him. Before he got a chance to say anything, Matt spoke.

“I’m not comfortable with this either. I can stay. I still think I should be the one to stay with him. If he tried to attack earlier, do you really think that he would take it well to wake up to find you there? Do you really think that’s going to help him?” Matt questioned.

“I don’t think he was trying to attack. I think he was scared. And, I think if anything, whatever he was trying to do, was directed at Christian, not me. Besides, if he reacts badly to having me there, you and Misha will be the first I call. Now, if there’s nothing else, I need you back with Misha, helping with his patients.” He saw the uncertain look on Matt’s face; he looked like he was about to put up a fight. “Unless you don’t think Jensen is safe with me. Do you think I’d actually do anything to harm him?” He could feel his anger starting to rise at that idea. He had hoped that Matt knew him better than that. He would never willingly bring harm to an omega, or anyone else. 

“No, of course not,” Matt responded, sensing Jared’s rising displeasure with him. “It’s not about you harming him, it’s about making him feel safe.”

“And that’s what I intend to do.”

Matt nodded his head in understanding. “Okay. I’m gonna head back and see if Misha needs my help.” Matt shifted from foot to foot before finally turning and leaving.

Jared watched him leave before shutting and locking the cabin door. He stood taking in the cabin and thought to himself how spacious Pellegrino’s cabin was. “Nothing but the best, I guess,” he remarked as he took in the open-concept living room and kitchen. It seemed that the kitchen had been outfitted with the top-of-the-line appliances, and what looked like new furniture in the dining area and living room. He walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets and refrigerator to find that Pellegrino’s cabin was stocked pretty well. He walked out of that room, to look through the rest of the cabin, wanting to familiarize himself with the layout. He found the master bedroom and bathroom, an office, two more bedrooms, wherein one, the twin beds had been stripped of their mattresses and bedding, before making his way back to the last bedroom and Jensen. He saw that Jensen was still asleep and decided to use that opportunity to search for the cabin for any weapons, remembering that Liam had mentioned possibly seeing Pellegrino with one. He hit pay dirt while searching the master bedroom, finding the gun hidden in a hollowed-out book in the nightstand. He did another sweep of the cabin, ending back in the living room. Satisfied that was the only gun hidden in the cabin he grabbed his bags and made his way back to the last bedroom. 

He dropped his belongings down next to the mattress and then turned to regard Jensen, wondering if this was the most sleep he had gotten since the night he had been taken. He felt his gut clench at that thought, Jensen had only been a child when his parents had been killed, and from what he had gathered, Jensen had witnessed the horrific act. With a sigh, he forced his attention back to his mattress, knowing there was no way he would ever be comfortable sleeping on the thing, but it was all he had, and he had slept on a lot worse. He quickly made the makeshift bed up. As he finished placing a pillow on the mattress, he heard soft movements coming from the cage. He glanced over his shoulder to find that Jensen was beginning to stir. Not wanting to scare him when he woke, he turned and sat down on the end of the mattress, waiting patiently for Jensen to wake.


	6. Chapter 6

Slowly Jensen blinked his eyes open, only to quickly close them again. The room was bright, too bright and it hurt his eyes. The room was always dark. He felt his breathing quicken at that thought and started to move, only to realize that he wasn’t on the hard cold floor, but lying on something warm and soft, and he was warm. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt warm. His head was resting on something that felt comfortable and he was wrapped in something soft. He drew his arms to his body and noticed that the rough remnants that he had been wearing were gone and replaced with something that felt nice against his skin. He rolled onto his stomach and then drew himself onto his knees. He felt whatever had been covering him slide off and he glanced at it. When it hit what he had been lying on, he growled at it and then poked at it. He wasn’t sure what was happening, why these things were in his cage, but he knew things were different. Not sure how to react, if he should attack or not, he moved until he felt the cold floor under his feet. When he felt the familiar feel of the worn wood against his skin, he crouched down and placed his hand on the soft thing and then quickly pulled it away. He hissed at the thing and then looked up to see that he wasn’t alone. 

Jared watched as green eyes regarded him warily. He remained still as Jensen moved off the mattress, crouching next to it. He watched as Jensen placed a hand on the mattress only to pull it back quickly. He heard Jensen hiss and he forced himself to remain where he was. He needed to let Jensen figure out that the items weren’t a threat to him. 

Seeing the other person in the room made Jensen stop his inspection of the changes to his cage. He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side as he watched the man, waiting to see what he’d do. When the man did move toward him, Jensen looked down at the things and then at the man again. He watched as the man smiled at him and then inched forward toward the bars. He scented the air, catching the smell of the man, of ginger and  _ alpha _ . He bared his teeth, letting the alpha know he wouldn’t be taken by him and then backed away from the bars, retreating to the corner where he was safe. 

Not wanting to scare Jensen, he made sure to speak softly, offering him a gentle smile. “Hi Jensen, my name is Jared. I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you. We took Pellegrino, Roche, and the other alphas into our custody. They’ll never be able to hurt you again.” He stopped speaking when Jensen hissed and then bared his teeth at him. At first, he had thought Jensen was issuing him a warning to stay away, or at the very least to stop speaking, but then he realized Jensen was reacting to the names he had spoken. “Did those alphas do this to you? Did they put you in this cage?” He hoped Jensen would answer him, but all he did was hiss at him and then press himself further into the corner of the cage. 

Jared nodded his head in understanding. “Okay, I won’t mention them again. How about I tell you about myself?” He heard Jensen “hmm” in response, making it sound as if he was interested in what he was saying. He wasn’t sure if Jensen actually understood him, but he wasn’t hissing or growling at him, so he took that to mean Jensen was at least listening to him.

Jensen cocked his head as he listened to the alpha speaking. He wasn’t yelling at him, scaring him. The large alpha wasn’t angry with him. His voice was calm, and he didn’t want him to stop speaking. He heard the alpha offering to continue to speak and he made a sound indicating his pleasure with that. Not taking his eyes off the alpha, he moved forward, into the middle of the area not taken up by the things in his cage, and then sank to the floor.

“So, as I told you, my name is Jared. If you haven’t already figured it out, I’m an alpha.” He stopped speaking when he heard a low warning growl coming from within the cage. “I know you’ve been hurt by some alphas, but I’m not one of them, and I’m not here to hurt you or any of the pack members. My mom, despite my size and me being an alpha, would beat my ass if I ever did that. I was brought up to respect omegas.”

Jared shook his head at himself, knowing he was getting off track. “I work for the Alpha Council of Weres. The council oversees most of the packs in North America and Canada. They do their best to make sure packs are healthy, that their alpha leader isn’t abusive, that betas and omegas aren’t being harmed. My team and I were called in to check up on this pack. We’re here to stop what’s been going on.” He stopped speaking, wondering if Jensen was listening to him. He watched as Jensen shifted so he was looking at the mattress with a suspicious look on his face. 

As Jensen listened to the alpha speaking to him, he began to relax. He found the alpha’s voice was soothing to listen to and felt his body go lax, hitting the thing in his cage. Startled, he growled at it and then quickly pulled away from it, so he was no longer touching it. He heard the alpha speaking to him and he looked up to find that he was standing near the cage. He hissed and bared his teeth, issuing a warning to the alpha not to come any closer to him. 

Seeing Jensen’s reaction to unknowingly leaning against the mattress had Jared pulling himself up to his full height and taking a few steps toward him, wanting to assure him that there was nothing to fear. He watched as Jensen looked up at him and then reacted to his close proximity by issuing him a warning not to come any closer. He raised his hands up, showing him that he wasn’t holding anything in them. “Hey, I’m not going to touch you, I promise,” he said as he took a step back, hoping that would help Jensen calm down. “I had a mattress brought in along with a pillow and a blanket. I didn’t want you sleeping on the floor, it’s cold and uncomfortable. You can lie down on the mattress. It’s not going to hurt you.” Taking a few steps backward, he felt his foot hit his mattress and he lowered himself onto it. “See, it’s just like mine.” He offered Jensen a smile as he bounced slightly on the mattress, showing him that it was harmless. 

Seeing what the alpha was doing, Jensen watched as if mesmerized by his actions. His green eyes followed the alpha’s every move until he dared to touch the mattress again. He glanced at the mattress and then at Jared before placing his hand down to feel along the top of it. When it didn’t hurt him, he moved closer to it. Before he dared to touch it again, he looked at Jared to see what he was doing, needing to know where he was. Seeing that Jared hadn’t moved from where he was, he sat down on the mattress and then turned so he was able to watch Jared. He didn’t like not being able to keep his eyes on the man; he was an alpha and he was sure that meant he was there to hurt him like the other alphas had. 

After settling on the mattress Jensen’s attention turned to what was covering his body. He looked down at himself and then at Jared before he began to pick at what was covering him. His hand went first to his arm, rubbing at the material and then gave a soft chirp at the feeling of how soft it was against his skin. He rubbed his hand across his chest and then dropped it to his knee, moving it back and forth to feel the slight differences between the materials. 

Jared watched Jensen’s movements, saw the curiosity cross his face when he realized he was clothed. “When we found you, you weren’t wearing much. We couldn’t leave you like that. Misha and I got you cleaned up, cut your hair, and then dressed you,” Jared explained. Jensen gave him a curious look when he stood up and moved to the door of the cage, pointing at it. Jensen gave him a wary look as he moved to the door of the cage, placed his hand on the door, and lifted up the latch holding it closed. “I broke the lock off. I don’t know why you were locked in here, but I didn’t particularly care for that.” He opened the cage as he explained what he had done and why, only to stop when Jensen snarled at him. “Okay, okay, I get it, you don’t want me to come in. That’s where you feel safe. I’m not going to do anything that upsets you.” He quietly shut the door and watched as Jensen seemed to regard him in confusion. “You’re safe, I promise you.” He heard Jensen huff at him, almost if he was disagreeing with him and he chuckled softly in understanding. 

Remembering Misha’s words that Jensen was malnourished he wondered when Jensen had last eaten. Knowing the kitchen was stocked full of food, he decided to try a different approach with him. “Are you hungry?” He was met with ‘hmm’ and took that as a yes. “I’ll be back. I’m going to get us something to eat.” He heard movement from within the cage; pausing at the door, he glanced over his shoulder to see that Jensen was bouncing on the mattress. Making his way into the kitchen he chuckled softly at what he had just witnessed. 

Not knowing what Jensen might like to eat, or if he was allergic to anything, at first he wasn’t sure what to feed him. He searched through the refrigerator, pulling out bread, butter, apples, and a few bottles of water. Figuring that toast might be the way to go, he toasted several pieces of bread, slathered them with butter, and cut up two of the apples. He piled the food on two plates, tucked the bottles under one arm, and carried everything back to the room. He found Jensen curled up on the mattress with his eyes focused on the door. “Okay, I wasn’t sure what to feed you,” he said as he placed his plate and water on his mattress and then walked over to the cage. 

Jensen kept his eyes on the door, unsure of what the alpha was going to do. Seeing that he hadn’t returned, he laid down on the mattress, letting his body sink into it while keeping his eyes on the door. He heard movement, but remained where he was until the alpha walked back in carrying something that piqued his interest. He sat up and watched as the alpha placed something down on his mattress. He waited to see what the alpha would do. Would he allow him to eat, or would he be made to watch the alpha eat whatever he had brought with him?

After placing his plate and water bottle on his mattress, Jared stood and carried Jensen’s plate and bottle to him. He stood in front of the cage, looking at it. There was no way he would be able to pass the plate through the bars. The only way to give Jensen the food was to open the door. “I’m going to open the door, only long enough to give you the food. Nothing else,” he explained as he walked to the door. He watched as Jensen moved off the mattress, backing himself up against the bars.

Pressing his back against the bars, Jensen watched as the alpha stood in front of the door to the cage, reached out and opened the door. He snarled in response, letting the alpha know he didn’t want him. He heard the alpha speaking to him, but he refused to allow the sound of the alpha’s soothing voice to fool him. He watched, waiting to defend himself if the alpha tried to breed him. He saw the alpha open the door, place something on the mattress, and back away, closing the door before he walked back to his mattress. 

As he sat down on his mattress, Jared picked up his plate and looked at Jensen. “See, I told you I wouldn’t hurt you. Go ahead, you can eat.” To show Jensen what he meant, he picked up a piece of toast and took a bite of it.

Understanding what the alpha was doing, Jensen crept back to the mattress, sat down, and poked at what had been left for him. He looked at it, grabbed it, and sniffed at it. His stomach grumbled and he dared to take a bite, his teeth bit into the item and he realized it was food. He hummed above the crunching in his mouth as he chewed and then swallowed what he had been given. When he had finished the toast, as the alpha had told him, he poked at the other item on his plate. He looked at it and then he could hear the alpha’s voice speaking to him. He tore his eyes off the item and looked at the alpha.

“It’s an apple,” Jared explained as he held up a slice from his own plate. “I cut it up to make it easier to eat. I hate when the peel gets stuck in my teeth.” He bit into the apple slice, showing Jensen it was safe for him to eat. “It’s good, sweet. Go on, try it.” He finished off the first slice and watched to see what Jensen would do.

Jensen gave a chirp showing his interest and bit into the apple. His eyes widened when the sweet juice hit his tongue and he licked his lips after he had finished eating the first slice. He looked at Jared and then back at his plate, picked up another slice, and devoured it. As Jensen ate, he kept looking down at the food. What this alpha had given him was vastly different from what he was used to eating, when he was offered food and allowed to eat, and it wasn’t given to him in the little bowl he was used to. He was extremely confused by the alpha’s treatment toward him, but this food tasted wonderful and he couldn’t get enough of it. 

Jared lowered himself off the mattress and inched closer to the cage, never taking his eyes off of Jensen as he did. He hoped his slow movements wouldn’t scare Jensen, he just wanted to get closer to him to let him know that he wasn’t a threat to him. He was about a foot away from the cage when Jensen looked up from the nearly empty plate to see what he was doing. He held his breath as he waited, wondering how Jensen would react. 

Jensen’s eyes darted toward Jared and then to his plate, wondering if the alpha was attempting to take the food away from him. He inched himself away from the bars, clutching the plate to his chest. He was about to hiss at the alpha when he heard him speaking to him. 

“Jensen, don’t worry, I’m not trying to take your food. I still have my own.” Jared pointed to the plate in his lap, offering Jensen a smile when he saw him begin to relax and sit down. “Plus, there’s always more if you're still hungry. I won’t starve you.” He was met with the crunch of Jensen eating another slice of apple. “So, you look much better compared to when we found you. I think you scared the hell out of Christian.” 

Intrigued by the alpha, Jensen once again moved closer to the bars. As long as he stayed where he was, he was fine with listening to the alpha speak to him. The bars provided him with security, knowing that they separated the alpha from him. He groped at his plate, finding the next slice of what had been given to him while he kept his eyes on the alpha. When he had eaten everything, he looked down at his plate and then at the alpha’s plate, eyeing what he had left on his plate. He licked his lips and inched forward, keeping his eyes on the plate in the alpha’s lap. He gave a soft whine, hoping the alpha would give him more to eat.

Jared focused his attention on Jensen when he heard him whine. “Jensen?” He noticed Jensen’s eyes trained on his lap, specifically his plate and he chuckled. “Still hungry? They didn’t feed you very often, did they?” He moved closer to the bars, picked up a slice of apple, fitting his hand through the bars, offering it to Jensen. 

Without thinking of anything other than filling his belly, Jensen grabbed the apple and greedily devoured it before looking for more. He heard Jared’s soothing voice speaking, telling him to take what he wanted as he was offered more of the slices. He grabbed at them, stuffing one into his mouth. He held the others in his hand, looking down at them as he chewed and swallowed what was in his mouth. The alpha offered him the rest of what had been on his own plate and he grabbed them with his free hand.

The sound of Jared’s radio going off broke through the silence of the room. Grabbing it off his belt, he answered the call from Christian, turning away from Jensen as he spoke to Christian. “Christian, I’m here.”

Keeping his eyes on the alpha, Jensen slowly made his way around the mattress. He watched as Jared turned away from him and he took that opportunity to hide the food he had yet to eat. While the alpha had been nice to him now, he still had no idea if the alpha would continue to be nice to him or when would be the next time he might be given food. 

“Jared, we’ve secured the alphas and set up everything in the meeting hall as our home base for the time we’re here,” Christian explained. 

“Good, any problems with them or any of the pack members?”

“None, so far.”

“Keep your eyes open. We still don’t know if we’ve gotten all of the abusers rounded up.”

“Will do. How’s it going there? Has he come around yet?”

“Yeah, he’s been awake for a while. He’s eating right now.” Jared turned to regard Jensen. He frowned when he saw what Jensen was doing. Jensen was hiding the apple slices that he hadn’t eaten. He knew that Jensen was doing this out of desperation and fear of not being fed again for a while. He’d deal with that after he finished up with Christian. “Have you all eaten? There’s plenty of food here if you haven’t.”

“We’re good. Liam and the few who trust us shared a meal with us. So, we’re good, and making friends.”

Jared chuckled and shook his head, “Yeah, call me if there are any problems.”

“Stay safe.”

“You, too,” Jared replied as he ended their communication. He replaced his radio on his belt, then placed his hands on his hips and turned to see what Jensen was doing. Finding him sitting on the mattress, he gave him a smile. “You know, those apple slices aren’t going to be good in the morning.” Lifting his right hand up, he held it out, crooking his fingers. “Come on, hand them over.”

Jensen’s head snapped up at the sound of Jared’s voice. He stared at the alpha, watching him as he crooked his fingers at him. Figuring out what the alpha wanted, he snarled at the alpha. He wasn’t going to give up his food so easily. He lowered himself into a crouch and issued another warning letting the alpha know he wasn’t submitting to him. 

Jared dropped his hand, turned, and walked out of the room. Making his way into the kitchen and rummaging through the cabinets, finding crackers, chips, and cookies. He portioned them out into snack bags and carried them back into the bedroom. He heard Jensen snarl at him as he approached the cage. Sitting back down in front of it, he held up the first of the snacks. “I told you I wouldn’t hurt you and that includes not starving you.” He showed the bags to Jensen. “These are filled with snacks.”

Jensen eyed the alpha as he returned and sat down in front of the cage. He cocked his head to the side and listened to the alpha speak to him, showing him what he had in his lap. His eyes ticked from the alpha’s face to his hands and then back again as he watched him. He was intrigued by what he was doing. He watched as the alpha picked up one of the things in his lap and held it out to him. He furrowed his eyebrows in contemplation, trying to make out what it was.

Jared watched Jensen’s facial expression, noticing how he was watching everything he was doing. He opened one of the bags, took out a chip, and held it up. “It’s probably not the best snack, and Misha would kill me if he found out I was doing this, but it’s the best I could do right now. This is a potato chip; the others are crackers and cookies. They’re all pretty tasty.” He offered the chip to Jensen who remained motionless. “Here, watch.” He popped the chip in his mouth and started to chew. “See, food.”

Seeing what the alpha held in his hand, Jensen chirped in interest. He inched forward when Jared offered another chip to him. Taking it, he sniffed at it and then bit into it. Tasting it, he devoured the rest of the chip and then waited to see what the alpha would do next.

“I’ll make a deal with you. You give me the apple slices and I’ll give you these.” Jared waited, hoping Jensen understood him. He didn’t want to force the issue by physically invading Jensen’s safe space, but he also couldn’t allow Jensen to hide food, especially the apple slices, knowing they would begin to rot. He understood, logically, why Jensen had done what he had, he still feared being starved as the other alphas had done to him, but he needed Jensen to trust him. He hoped this small act would help that along between them. He slid the first bag through the bars and waited. 

Jensen sat listening to the alpha. At first, he was unwilling to move. He definitely wasn’t going to willingly give up what little food he had squirreled away. He had no idea the next time this alpha would feed him. Seeing the first of the food being slid through the bars he grabbed it, clutching it to his chest as he looked down at it. Before he even considered giving back the apple slices, he needed to make sure this wasn’t some type of trick on the alpha’s part. He had watched what the alpha had done, how he had opened and closed the food. If he could do that, then he would give the alpha what he wanted, but only after he had the food the alpha was willing to give him. At first, he fought with getting the bag open, but once he did, he peered inside, sniffed at the food, and then figured out how to reseal the bag. He placed the food down on the mattress and looked expectantly at the alpha.

Jared watched what Jensen was doing, when he realized Jensen was waiting for what else he had, he tossed his head back and laughed. He caught his breath and saw Jensen smiling at him. “Okay, that first one was done to win you over.” He pushed another bag through the bars and watched Jensen repeat his movements from earlier. He shook his head no when Jensen put his hand out, trying to get him to hand over the last bag. “No, I gave you two, now you need to give me a show of good faith.” He held up his hand, waiting for Jensen to hand over the apple slices.

Jensen side-eyed the alpha, not willing to give up any of his food. Picking up the two bags, he moved to the far end of the mattress where he had hidden the food. He turned his back to the alpha, glancing over his shoulder to make sure he hadn’t moved as he hid the bags. He picked up two of the apple slices, keeping a few in case this was a trick, and then moved back to where he had been sitting. Slowly he handed over some of his food and was shocked when the alpha exchanged the remaining bag for the apples. He looked down at the bag before moving back to hide it with the others. He picked up the remaining apple slices, returned to where he had been sitting and pushed them through the bars and into the alpha’s outstretched hand.

“Thank you for trusting me,” Jared said, making sure to keep his voice low so he wouldn’t startle Jensen. He looked at the apples, seeing that they were beginning to brown, he held up one to show Jensen. “See, they’re not the same color as when I gave them to you. By tomorrow morning, they wouldn’t be any good to eat.” He made a face at them as he got up to throw them away. He heard Jensen make a sound and his head snapped up. He looked over at Jensen, and to him, it seemed as if he was laughing. He hoped that what he had heard was indeed Jensen laughing. Deciding not to make a comment about it, he left the room to throw away the apples. 

When he returned, he found Jensen holding the water bottle, turning it over in his hands, causing him to wonder how the alphas had provided Jensen with something to drink. “Hey, do you need some help with that?”

Not realizing that the alpha had returned, Jensen startled at hearing his voice. Letting out a whimper, he fearfully looked up at the alpha as he clutched the thing in his hands to his chest. 

Jared raised his hands up in front of himself. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He grabbed his own water bottle. Showing it to Jensen, he demonstrated how to twist the cap off, raised the open bottle to his lips and took a sip from it before capping it. He watched as Jensen fumbled with the bottle several times before he managed to get it open and drank from it. “Do you think you can give me the plate now that it’s empty?” He held up his plate as he pointed to Jensen’s, hoping he had made himself understood. 

Jensen looked at the plate he had set down on the mattress and then at the one in the alpha’s hands. Now that it was empty, he wasn’t worried about giving it up. Picking it up, he placed it against the bars. When he wasn’t able to pass it through, he hissed in frustration and then tossed the plate down onto the mattress. 

“Okay, so, that’s not gonna work,” Jared murmured. The gap between the bars was large enough for him to slip his hand through, but not wide enough to get the plate through. He knew what he was about to do was going to set Jensen off, but there was no other way to get the dirty plate out of the cage. “I’m only going to open the door enough to get the plate. I’m not going to come in, and I’m not going to hurt you,” he explained as he walked to the door, hoping Jensen remained calm. As he placed his hand on the latch, he heard Jensen whine and he repeated his words to him. 

Seeing the alpha opening the cage door had Jensen growling in anger. Just because the alpha had fed him and given him something to drink didn’t mean that he would now allow the alpha to touch him. He bared his teeth at the alpha as he moved to the farthest corner trying to get as much distance from him as he could. When his back hit the bars, he growled again, issuing another warning. 

Moving slowly and not taking his eyes off of Jensen, Jared opened the door. When Jensen had tossed the plate, it had thankfully landed on the edge of the mattress closest to him. He reached inside, grabbed the plate, and then backed out, closing the door once he was clear of the cage. He held up the plate, showing Jensen that he had only taken the plate and that he had no intention of doing anything else. “Jensen, you’re alright,” he assured him in a soothing tone as Jensen continued to hiss his displeasure at him. He stood there, watching Jensen until he began to settle down. Seeing Jensen like that, fearful of being hurt by an alpha, by anyone for that matter, had him taking a deep breath and reminding himself that while Jensen’s reaction was directed at him, it wasn’t actually because of his presence. It was because of everything he had been put through since witnessing the murder of his parents and being taken against his will. He turned and walked out of the room as quickly as he could, knowing that his hazel eyes were most likely turning red as anger coursed through his body, and he didn’t want Jensen to fear him. His anger wasn’t directed at Jensen, but at those who had done this to him. 

Once in the kitchen, he slammed the plates down on the counter, not caring if they broke into a million pieces. He fought against the urge to punch a hole in the wall, knowing that wouldn’t solve anything. What he wanted was to put Pellegrino and the others through what Jensen had suffered through. He wanted them to feel the terror Jensen and the other omegas had undoubtedly felt while under their rule. 

Jared forced himself to calm down. He needed to think rationally. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to gather his thoughts, and then he was struck by Jensen’s reaction to the food he had been given. Clearly what he had given Jensen to eat wasn’t what he was used to, so what had Jensen been fed, he wondered. With that thought in mind, Jared set about searching through the kitchen. Opening the pantry door, he looked down to see a shelf containing dog bowls, both inscribed with Jensen’s name and a large bag of what looked like chunks of dried granola. Picking it up, he examined it, discovering the bag was nearly full. “An excellent source of nutrients, and a great meal replacement,” he read out loud and then scanned the ingredients, and aside from oats, he didn’t recognize any of the others listed, and he had a feeling that whatever was in the bag was something he would never feed another person. 

Opening the bag, he sniffed at it, and wrinkled his nose at the smell of cardboard he was hit with. Just from the smell alone, he had a feeling that the ‘food’ wouldn’t be pleasant tasting. Reaching in, he pulled out what looked like a congealed clump and held it in his hand, feeling the rough texture of it against his skin. Raising it to his lips, he dared to take a bite of it and gagged when the piece he had bitten off hit his tongue. “Edible my ass,” Jared said as he spit it out into his hand. 

When he turned the bag around, he noticed Jensen’s name scrawled across it. His eyes widened in shock at seeing that, and then they flicked back to the empty dog bowls. He was suddenly filled with horror at the idea that what Jensen had been fed was something akin to dog food. There was no way in hell he was feeding that to Jensen, and he certainly wasn’t going to ever offer him food or water from dog bowls. He slammed the pantry door closed, found the trash barrel, and wiped the disgusting “food” off his hands so he could wash them before he grabbed his radio, and he spoke into it, calling for Misha. A few minutes later his radio crackled and then he heard Misha’s voice.

“Jared, you rang?” 

“Yeah, switch to channel five.”

“Gotcha.” 

A moment later Jared turned the dial to the channel he wanted and called out to Misha.

“So, what’s with the secure channel?” Misha questioned, knowing Jared only used this channel when he didn’t want others on the team to hear sensitive information. Once in use, the channel could only be used between Jared and the person he had given access to. “Is there an issue with Jensen? Do you need me? Did he have a bad reaction to the tranq?” Misha asked, concern for Jensen’s health clearly on his mind.

“No, sorry, nothing like that. He came to without a problem,” Jared admitted. 

“Okay, so he’s awake.”

“Yeah, just, what’s your day like for tomorrow?”

“Aside from seeing my patients, I’m not sure,” Misha replied. “I want to continue going through the medical files on the pack members. I’d like to eventually examine each member as a precaution. There could be members who are too afraid to come forward on their own to tell us about their abuse. Why, do you need something?”

“Can you swing by the cabin after you check on your patients?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Yes? No, I don’t know. I just don’t want to leave Jensen alone and I need to have a discussion with Pellegrino.”

“A discussion or a beating?”

“What they did to these omegas . . .” Jared had to stop himself from speaking, feeling his anger beginning to rise again. 

“Jared, we’ve dealt with this before. What’s got you so upset?” 

Taking a deep breath in, Jared held it and then exhaled with it with a whoosh. “This is beyond what we’ve dealt with. They starved him. I fed him, for the first time in probably days. When he thought I wasn’t watching, he hid the apple slices he couldn’t eat. I had to bribe him with snack bags full of chips, cookies and crackers in order to get him to give them up.” Jared paused, getting his anger under control again. “What they fed him . . . it was the equivalent of dog kibble, and they fed him using dog bowls!”

“Jesus Christ, you’re kidding me!” 

“I wish I was. They couldn’t even treat him like a human being.”

“Okay, as soon as I’m done checking in with my patients, barring any others showing up, I’ll come stay with him until you’re done.”

“Thanks, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jared confirmed before ending their exchange. He picked up the dishes, washed them, and then checked the doors and windows, making sure they were secure before returning to Jensen. He found him sitting in the far corner of the cage watching the door. “Hey, how are you doing?” Not waiting for Jensen to answer him, he continued on, “So, tomorrow, Misha is going to stop by. He’s gonna stay with you while I take care of some things.” He heard a slight chirp of interest from Jensen. “Misha’s a doctor. He’s a beta and also the one who cut your hair. So, if you don’t like the new look, he’s the one to complain to.”

Jensen sat in the corner of the cage with his eyes trained on the door watching for the alpha to return. He had felt anger coming from the alpha, something he had never experienced before from the other alphas. Sure, he could tell when they were angry; yelling and screaming at him or trying to hit him, but he had never  _ felt _ their anger. And, their anger had been directed at him. This time, it was different; this time, the alpha was angry, but not  _ at _ him. He watched as the alpha returned, seeming calmer. He listened as he spoke. He caught a few words, a name, and then the alpha was pointing to his head. Raising his hand up, he touched his own head and realized that his hair had been cut. He huffed as he raised his other hand to his head, running his fingers through his hair as he gave the alpha an astonished look. He liked the feeling of being able to run his fingers through his cropped hair and he definitely liked not having it in his face.

Jared waited for Jensen to go on the attack, only to be surprised when he didn’t. “Feels better, right? You look better with short hair. I can see your green eyes.” He offered Jensen a smile and then grabbed his duffle bag to rummage through it until he found an old t-shirt, sleep pants and toiletries. “I’m gonna go get washed up. Then it’ll be lights out. I think it’s been a long day for both of us,” he explained and then slipped out of the bedroom to use the bathroom. Leaving the hall light on to guide himself if he needed to get up in the middle of the night, he returned to find Jensen lying on the mattress, his eyes half-lidded as he tracked his movements. He offered him a smile, dropped his clothes on top of his duffle bag, shut off the light, and then climbed onto the mattress. 

Jensen lay on the mattress. It was different than sleeping on the floor and he didn’t know what to make of it. The mattress was soft and inviting, and he was warmer than he had been in a long time. He just couldn’t get comfortable. He tossed and turned, tangling himself up in the blanket. He gave a low whimper as he kicked his legs and fought to get free. Once his legs were freed, he covered himself again, rolling from his back onto his side, only to get tangled up again. He whined in frustration, not knowing what to do. This was all so new to him, being given something soft to sleep on, being given something to keep him warm. 

Figuring that the changes Jensen had experienced that day were overloading him, Jared grabbed a pillow and blanket and moved closer to the cage. He had heard Jensen’s whines and whimpers and knew he had to comfort him in some way. He placed the pillow against the bars and proceeded to lie down, covering himself with the blanket. He would have preferred to sleep on the mattress and not the cold hard floor, but he thought moving the mattress closer would definitely upset Jensen. Besides, he had slept on much worse compared to a cold and hard wooden floor. He could deal with a night of sleeping on the floor if that’s what it took to get Jensen to relax and sleep. 

As Jensen rolled over, he found the alpha lying next to the cage. He stiffened at having the alpha so close to him. The alpha hadn’t hurt him, yet, but he knew it was a matter of time before he tried to. He watched as the alpha pushed his arm through the opening of the bars and then felt his hand resting on his shoulder. He hissed at the alpha, but the alpha didn’t withdraw his hand. Before he could push the hand away, the alpha was speaking to him, causing him to focus on the sound of his voice and not the hand touching him.

After daring to push his arm through the bars, Jared placed his hand on Jensen’s shoulder. He let it rest there, giving Jensen time to adjust to his touch. When Jensen didn’t attack him, he began to rub his shoulder, trying to soothe him. As Jensen settled, actually leaning into his touch, he dared to do something he remembered his mother doing that soothed him when he had been little. Slowly he moved his hand up to Jensen’s head and began to run his fingers through his hair. “My mom used to do this for me when I was a kid. It used to help settle me down when I was upset or if I was sick. She used to sing to me, too, but trust me, you don’t want to hear me sing.”

This was the first time an alpha had touched him, offering comfort to him, since he had been brought here. He didn’t know what to make of that. At first, he was sure the alpha was trying to subdue him somehow so he could try to take him. But then, the alpha just rubbed his arm for a while before doing what he was doing now, running his fingers through his hair. He found that he liked it. It felt nice and it was soothing. He felt his eyes grow heavy as the alpha continued to run his fingers through his hair and despite trying to stay awake, his eyes slipped closed and he drifted off to sleep. 

Rolling over, Jared grunted at the pain he felt in his shoulders from sleeping on the floor. Seeing that Jensen was still asleep, he took a moment to look at the omega. Jensen looked so peaceful lying there, curled up on the mattress, like he hadn’t lived through hell in the past years. His mind was overtaken with the thought of how striking Jensen really was. Jensen’s closed eyes were fanned by long dark lashes. A spattering of freckles covered his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, and his full pink lips were parted slightly as he slept. He licked his own lips as his eyes moved over Jensen’s pale skin, stopping at his reddish-brown, newly cropped hair before coming to rest on his exposed neck. He had the briefest of thoughts, wondering what it would be like to sink his teeth into Jensen’s skin when he claimed him. His eyes widened when he realized what had run through his mind and he quickly put a stop to that. Jensen was an abused omega, one who would never be his.  _ His _ ? Where the hell had that thought come from? He reminded himself again it was because he needed some downtime and he really needed to get laid. Getting up, he tossed his pillow and blanket onto his mattress, grabbed his clothes, and went to get himself ready for the day, and then checked on Jensen before wandering into the kitchen to make them something to eat. 

When Jensen woke, he found himself alone. Sitting up, Jensen rubbed at his eyes and then looked around the room, wondering where the alpha was. He felt his heart beginning to hammer in his chest at being alone, of not having the alpha there with him. This made no sense, as alphas had only hurt him; but this alpha, he was different. He had been kind to him, spoke softly to him, smiled at him, fed him. For some reason, he didn’t want the alpha to leave him. He saw that the other mattress was still there, along with what the alpha had brought with him and he felt himself start to relax. The alpha had to come back, at least for what he had left. He gave a soft chirp, wondering if that would bring the alpha back. He heard the sounds of movement and cocked his head to the side, listening and waiting. When no one entered the room, he made his way to the door of his cage and with shaking hands, managed to curl his fingers around the latch, pushing it up and opening the door. He watched as it swung open and then his eyes darted to the bedroom door to see if anyone had noticed what he had been doing. Seeing that he was still alone, he took a hesitant step outside of the cage and stopped, waiting to see if anyone would come in to yell at him. With no one appearing, he took a few more steps, stopping next to the second mattress. He crouched down next to it, curious as to what might be there and reached out to touch what belonged to the alpha. Hearing movement coming closer to where he was, he froze. He looked up to see the alpha standing in the doorway, filling the space and he felt himself overcome with panic.

Walking back down the hallway, he held a plate of food in each hand and stopped abruptly in the doorway, nearly dropping the plates, when he saw Jensen crouched by his mattress. “Jensen, you’re . . .”

Hearing the alpha speaking to him, and knowing he was out from the protection of his cage, Jensen howled in panic. He scrambled away from the mattress, turned, and ran for the safety of the cage, managing to slam the door shut once he was inside. He backed himself into the farthest corner, crouched down, waiting for the alpha to come after him as he mewled in fear.

Jared didn’t move or speak, wanting to give Jensen a few moments to settle down. Once Jensen was in the cage, he stepped into the room, walked over to the cage, and sat down in front of it. He held up the plate, showing it to Jensen. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to push the plate through the bars, he had the forethought to put the apple he had sliced up along with some blueberries in a small bowl. He offered a piece of toast to Jensen, hoping that would coax Jensen toward him. “Jensen, it’s okay, I’m not upset with you. I was just surprised.” He gave the cowering omega a soft smile and waited for him to relax enough that he would realize that food was being offered to him. As he spoke, he continued to keep his voice as soft as possible. “Was there something that caught your attention? How about another deal? If you eat a piece of toast and some of the fruit, I’ll show you what’s over there,” he offered.

As his breathing returned to normal, Jensen was able to focus on what the alpha was saying to him. He inched forward, locking his eyes on the alpha’s face as he did. He didn’t see anger on his face, he didn’t hear anger in his voice, and he didn’t feel anger radiating off of the alpha, but he was still fearful of being hurt or yelled at. At first, he thought the food being offered to him was a way to get him into the middle of the cage so the alpha could attack him. When the alpha didn’t move or take the food away, he reached out with a shaking hand to grab at it. Looking at what was in his hand, he recognized it as the same food he had been given the last time the alpha fed him. Eagerly he devoured it and then looked at the alpha, hoping for more.

“Okay, how about some fruit?” Jared pushed the small bowl through the bars. Biting into a piece of toast, he watched as Jensen peered into the bowl and then finally tried a blueberry. He heard Jensen make an appreciative sound and he chuckled. “Good, right? Blueberries and another apple.” Finishing his toast, he set aside his plate and got up to get his bag. He returned to where he had been sitting to find Jensen had come closer to see what he had. “Okay, as promised,” he said as he opened his duffle bag and sat down. 

Jensen watched as the alpha got up, grabbed what had caught his interest earlier, and then returned with it. He placed his food down and inched closer, eager to see what the alpha had. He rested on his heels, rocking slightly as he waited to see what the alpha would do next. As the alpha opened the item, he cocked his head to the side and grabbed onto the bars, pulling himself flush with them.

Jared looked up to see that Jensen appeared to be mesmerized by what he was doing. He offered him a dimpled smile, “I think once you see what’s in here, you’re going to be severely disappointed. It’s not nearly as interesting as you might think.” Pulling on the zipper, he slid it down the length of the bag and then opened it, revealing the contents of the bag as he pulled out item after item, showing his clothing to Jensen. He heard Jensen huff, making him chuckle. “See, I told you it wasn’t very interesting. It’s just my duffle bag that I take with me when my team and I are sent out. I keep all my clothes in it, that’s it,” he explained as he repacked his duffle bag and then pushed it toward his mattress so it was out of the way. 

Jensen watched with rapt attention as the alpha showed him what he had brought with him. When the alpha had finished, he gave a soft huff at seeing everything the alpha had shown him before letting go of the bars to sit back down. He grabbed his food and proceeded to finish what he had. When he was done, he huffed again, trying to get the alpha’s attention. When he had accomplished that, he pointed to the food still on the plate he hoped was for him and was pleasantly surprised when the alpha offered him the rest, in exchange for the empty bowl. 

When they had finished eating, Jared got up, took the empty plates and bowl, and started for the door. Stopping, he turned back to Jensen. “I’m going to clean up and hopefully by that time, Misha will be here.” He had the dishes washed and had finished putting together a snack bag full of blueberries for Jensen when he heard a knock at the front door. Setting the bag aside, he went to greet whoever it was. Pulling open the door, he found Misha standing on the porch. “Hey come on in,” he greeted as he stepped aside to allow Misha to enter. 

“Thanks,” Misha replied as Jared closed the door behind them. 

“I just need to get something then I’ll bring you back.” Jared turned, walked over to the kitchen, and grabbed the snack off the counter. He saw the bemused look on Misha’s face and smiled. “It’s for Jensen. Right now, I’m not above bribery,” he explained as he led Misha down the hall. 

“You don’t say,” Misha quipped as he looked at Jared. The man seemed different to him. He knew Jared to be one who protected others, but what he was doing was different. He wasn’t only protecting an abused omega, he was also caring for him, nurturing him. He didn’t know what to make of it, or how it would all play out in the end for Jared or Jensen. He just hoped that his friend wouldn’t get hurt in the process. 

“What?”

Shaking his head, Misha met Jared’s eyes, “Nothing, just observing.”

Jared gave him a curious look, “Okay, whatever that means.”

“So, how’d it go last night after we spoke? Any problems,” Misha questioned as he followed Jared into the room. 

Deciding to keep not only his inappropriate thoughts of claiming Jensen to himself, he also chose to remain quiet about sleeping next to the cage or running his fingers through Jensen’s hair until he had fallen asleep. Shaking his head, Jared said, “No, no issues. We both slept peacefully. But we did have a bit of a rocky start to the morning.” 

Misha quirked an eyebrow up as he looked at Jared. “Oh, how so?”

“I’m not sure exactly what he was doing, but I found him outside of the cage near my mattress. When he saw me, he howled in panic and ran for the safety of the cage. It took him a while to settle down. Once he was calm, I was able to coax him into eating. He really likes toast and fruit. This morning we had another apple and some blueberries.” He turned to the cage, finding that Jensen had crept closer to the bars. “This is Misha, the beta I told you about. He’s going to stay with you so you’re not alone. I have some business I have to deal with.” He saw the wary look on Jensen’s face as he eyed Misha. Handing the bag full of blueberries to Misha, he walked over to Jensen. “There’s nothing to worry about. Misha’s not going to hurt you.  _ Ever _ . As a doctor, he took an oath to never hurt anyone. He’s just going to keep you company until I get back.”

Jensen narrowed his eyes at Misha, still not willing to believe that the man wouldn't hurt him once the alpha was gone. He backed away from the bars as the beta approached him.

“Hey Jensen, Jared’s right. I’d never do anything to hurt you. How about while Jared’s gone, we get to know each other? I can tell you about myself, would you like that? Or, I can read to you,” Misha offered, as he dropped his backpack to the floor. “Jared also told me you like blueberries. He gave me some for you, in case you get hungry.” He showed the bag he had been holding to Jensen, but noticed the omega’s attention was on the backpack at his feet.

Seeing what had caught Jensen’s attention over the blueberries, Jared chuckled. “Yeah, he was interested in my duffle bag until I showed him what was in it. Then, not so much.”

“Do you want to know what’s in here?” Misha crouched down and unzipped the backpack, opening it to reveal a few folders, some pens, a notebook, and a few books he had picked up right before they had been sent in to investigate Ashland. Two of the books were by his favorite author, Stephen King. One book was on his favorite subject, Yoga, and the other was on ancient Egyptian medical practices. He pulled out one of the books,  _ The Outsiders _ , and showed it to Jensen. “How about we start this together?”

Jensen cocked his head, looking at the book and then at Misha before he turned his back on him. When he heard the alpha’s voice, he turned back around. 

“Jensen, are you alright?” Jared asked in a concerned voice, watching as Jensen turned back at the sound of his voice. “I’m hoping I won’t be gone long, but I will be back. I’m leaving my duffle bag here. I don’t go anywhere without it since it’s got my clothes in it.”

Jensen huffed at the alpha and then climbed onto the mattress, grabbed the blanket to cover himself with, and then laid his head on the pillow. He watched as the alpha and beta spoke with each other, looking over at him every once in a while before the alpha left the room, leaving him alone with the beta. 

“So Jared tells me that you liked the apples and blueberries he gave you. He also told me that he gave you some snacks. Don’t try that with me. Those snacks aren’t that good for you.” He looked over at Jensen to see him quickly close his eyes. He forced himself to bite back the laugh that threatened to bubble up. He dropped his gaze from Jensen and focused his attention on the bag of blueberries. “These look like they’re very tasty blueberries.” He glanced up to see that Jensen’s eyes were open, but as soon as he saw he was being watched, Jensen quickly closed them again. “It’s a pity that you’re asleep. I guess I’ll have to eat them instead.” He heard a low whine and looked up to find Jensen sitting up with his eyes trained on the bag. “Oh, look who’s awake.” He walked closer to Jensen and heard him hiss. “Tell you what, I’m going to let you scent me. This way you can know for certain that I’m not going to hurt you.” He moved closer to the cage, ignoring Jensen hissing at him. “You can just stop that. Now, come here and scent me.” He offered his hand through the bars, waiting for Jensen to come closer to him. 

When Jensen finally decided to go over, taking the time to scent the man, his eyes widened when he discovered he really was a beta. 

“See, not an alpha and you have nothing to fear from me. Would you like some blueberries, or should we wait a bit?” Jensen huffed as he moved away so he was sitting on the mattress again. 

“Okay, you’re not hungry. How about I read some of this to you?” Misha questioned as he picked up his book.

Jensen’s eyes tracked the beta as he picked up the book he had been shown earlier, sat down by the cage, opened the book and began to read to him. He returned to his position he had been on the mattress earlier, curled up with his head on the pillow and the blanket wrapped around him as he listened to the beta’s voice. It was nice, but not like the alpha’s voice, which he really wanted to hear again. 

As Misha continued to read, he glanced up at Jensen to check on him. Jensen seemed to be listening to the sound of his voice and was definitely watching him. He gave him a smile and then focused on the book, continuing to read. When he heard Jensen moving, he stopped reading to look up at him. Jensen seemed restless as he shifted from one position to another on the mattress. Saving his page, he closed the book and set it on the floor next to him. “Are you hungry? Would you like some blueberries?” He picked up the bag containing the fruit and showed it to Jensen.

Seeing the fruit, Jensen sat up and inched closer to the bars as the beta opened the bag. He watched as the beta took some out and held them in his hand. He gave a soft huff of protest, thinking the beta was about to eat the food intended for him.

Hearing Jensen’s protest Misha laughed. “Don’t worry I’m not going to eat your food. Jared said it was for you. Now, do you want some, or not?” He waited to see what Jensen would do and was surprised when he pushed his hand through the bars, waiting with his palm up for him to give him some of the blueberries. “Here you go,” he said as he placed a handful of the berries in Jensen’s hand.

Getting the fruit, Jensen withdrew his hand and began to pick at them. He glanced over at the open door, wanting to see if the alpha was there. When he saw that he wasn’t, he gave another soft huff and started to eat the fruit. When he was offered more, he grimaced at the beta and proceeded to lie back down. 

“Okay, so you’re not interested in having more,” Misha responded with a soft chuckle. “Well, I’ll keep them safe with me in case you do.” He picked up the book and continued to read to Jensen. After a period of time, Misha noticed Jensen looking upward and followed his glance to see what he was looking at. “You’re looking for Jared, aren’t you,” Misha said. It wasn’t a question, but a statement as he took in the forlorn look on Jensen’s face. “Don’t worry, he’ll be back.” 


	7. Chapter 7

Jared walked past Christian and Aldis, not bothering to acknowledge them, he was focused solely on Pellegrino. His eyes flashed red as he took in the look of the smug asshole. He had to force himself not to give in to his desire to rip the man’s throat out. Right now, Pellegrino was lucky he wasn't armed. He had had the forethought to leave his gun with Chad when he had entered the meeting hall. Stopping a foot away from the other alpha, Jared growled at him, getting his attention as Pellegrino looked at him in shock before schooling his features, making himself appear calm and collected, but Jared had seen it, just for a minute that he was anything but what he appeared to be. “What did you do to him?” 

Pellegrino smirked at Jared. “Well, you're going to have to be a little bit more specific if you want an accurate answer.”

“Jensen Ackles, what did you do to him?” He watched as Pellegrino’s eyes widened before he composed himself again.

“I see you found my pet.” Pellegrino heard all three alphas growl at him, but he ignored their warnings. “He’s defective, the kinder thing would have been to put him down, but I just couldn't. He's still pretty, even under all that dirt.” He let out a sigh as he locked eyes with Jared. “Couldn’t breed the useless omega. I tried, hell, I was willing to let a few of the boys try, but the bitch wouldn't cooperate. Not even after I broke him.” He threw his head back and laughed. “You should have seen the look on his face, those big green tearful eyes looking up at me when I had him on his knees. Never did get the hang of sucking me off. Then, he bit someone, and I couldn't let that continue, so I taught him his place. But still, the bitch wouldn't give it up. He fought, and well, I wasn't about to let an omega have the upper hand, so I put him in his cage. Kept him safely tucked away, like any good alpha would.”

Jared growled in anger, issuing a warning to the alpha for him to stop speaking, one Pellegrino didn’t seem to want to take.

“You should have heard him. He had such a sweet little voice, that was before I made it so he no longer spoke.” Mark smiled and then pressed his hand to his chest as he began to speak in a higher, mocking pitched voice, “No please don't hurt me. I just want to go home. I want my mom and dad.” Mark dropped his hand and cleared his throat before speaking in his own voice again. “His sniveling for his dead parents just got to be too much, so I beat him every time he spoke. He finally learned to keep quiet.” Mark shook his head, chuckling to himself as if he was reminiscing over fond memories. “I tried to breed him, but he never produced slick. And that artificial shit, that just doesn't compare to the real thing.”

“You tortured him,” Jared gritted out from behind clenched teeth.

“No, I tried to help him have his first heat. I did whatever it took so I could mate and breed him. But that never worked out. I thought about selling him, but I couldn't bear to let him go.” Pellegrino shrugged and then offered Jared a smile. “He was just too pretty to part with.” Pellegrino gave Jared a wide smile and then winked at him. “So, are you and your team gonna try to breed him? Well, if you do, don’t say I didn’t warn you. He’s as dry as the Sahara Desert. Couldn’t even get my dick in.” Mark threw his head back and laughed when he saw Jared’s eyes flashing from hazel to red. “What? You don’t like the idea that someone else tried to breed the useless omega whore? Fuck off. He’s mine to do with as I please, and when this is all over and I’m vindicated, I don’t care how much of that artificial slick I need to use, I’ll fuck him until he submits to me and I’ll have you watch. Yeah, I like that idea. I’ll have you watch and then, when I’m done, I’ll let you breed him to your heart’s content. Hell, maybe I’ll even let you have him, my way of thanking you for this little bit of entertainment you’re supplying for me. You can keep him as your pet. I’d bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you, Alpha Padalecki? I can tell you’re interested in him. You can collar him and lead him around on a leash. I tried that, but it didn’t go over very well. Maybe, after he’s broken in and finally understands what his role is, just an omega hole to be fucked, he’ll finally settle down and be the good omega pet he was meant to be.” 

“You're going to pay for what you did to him, his parents and your pack,” Jarred vowed.

“Why agent, has he gotten under your skin?” Pellegrino sneered. “Thinking of keeping him for yourself? He's nothing more than a mindless animal, I made sure of that.”

Jared smirked at Pellegrino, in the short amount of time he had spent with Jensen, he had noticed that he was anything but what Pellegrino had just described. “He’s not some mindless animal. I have a feeling he’s a lot smarter than you give him credit for. He’s definitely smarter than you or your so-called quack of a doctor.”

“Fuck you,” Brian yelled at Jared. “The alpha’s pet is in no way smarter than me. And I’m far from a quack!”

Turning to meet the angry stare of Brian, Jared smirked at him. “Really? If that’s so, how come you couldn’t get him to have a heat, even when you tried to force one on him?”

Curling his lip up in a sneer, Brian answered Jared’s question. “Like our alpha told you, he’s defective.”

Hearing this, Jared shook his head and then gave a sarcastic laugh as his eyes ticked from Pellegrino to Brian. “You stupid fuckers.”

Remaining quiet until now, Roche spoke. “What the fuck are you laughing at?” he demanded.

“You and your boys aren’t just stupid, but inept.” Jared watched as the alphas exchanged confused looks between them. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Roche questioned.

“Seems you forgot something extremely important about the type of omega Jensen is. Green-eyed male omegas only go into heat when they’re with their mate. So what you did to him, torturing him, breaking him, as you put it, there was no reason for that. It was all for nothing. He’s been in captivity for what, thirteen years now with you, and he’s never had a heat. I guess none of you are his mate.” He felt satisfied when he saw the looks of understanding cross the alphas faces. “Nice talk. I guess we’re done here.” He turned and stalked out of the meeting hall, needing to distance himself from the alphas he found so disgusting. He made a sweep of the grounds before he returned to Misha and Jensen. Knowing that Pellegrino had “broken” Jensen as he had put it, he had a question he hoped Misha could answer.

“Misha, I need to know, is he capable of speaking?” Jared asked as he entered the room. Since finding Jensen, he had yet to hear him speak. “He hasn’t said a word.”

“Jared, as far as I can tell, Jensen is capable of making sounds. It’s reasonable to assume he also has the ability to speak. But for whatever reason, he doesn’t,” Misha explained. “He was probably forced to remain silent for fear of reprisal. He wasn’t subjected just to physical torture, there was most likely psychological torture as well. He did what he had to in order to survive. His mind could have broken under that. He was a child when he was taken. He witnessed his parents’ murders. He was put through God knows what. Some of what was done to him was documented. I have no way of knowing what else might have happened to him, not unless he or those bastards tell us. He may never speak. He may never recover. He might remain as he is.” He saw Jared’s normally hazel eyes briefly flash red in anger. “I’m sorry, I know that’s not what you were hoping to hear, but it’s the truth, as hard as it is to say. But I’m not a psychologist. Right now, all we can do is care for him, show him that he’s safe, that no one is going to hurt him.” Misha looked at Jared and then placed a hand on his bicep. “What happened? What did you find out when you spoke with Pellegrino?” He heard Jensen whimper at the mention of the alpha’s name, but pressed Jared for information. “Was it as bad as we thought?”

“Pellegrino purposefully did this to him. Everything that Jensen has suffered through was done to break him. That bastard beat him whenever he spoke until he stopped speaking. He never gave up hope on breeding Jensen. When Jensen fought back, he caged him because he couldn’t stomach the idea of letting go of his pet. He called him his  _ pet _ .” An angry growl escaped his lips and he knew his eyes had changed in color from hazel to red. 

“Jesus Christ,” Misha murmured. Before he could say anything else, he heard Jensen whimpering again, and then Jensen began to mewl in fear. He knew Jensen was reacting to the state Jared was in and he needed to get Jared to calm down. “Jared, rein it in, your anger is affecting Jensen.”

Hearing that forced Jared to snap out of the fury he was being engulfed by. “Shit,” he voiced and then disappeared from the room, needing a moment to himself. When he returned, he found Misha crouched in front of the cage speaking softly to Jensen, trying to coax him away from the back of the cage.

“Jensen, Jared’s not angry at you. He’s upset, yes, but not with you. I know seeing him like that scared you, but Jared would never hurt you,” Misha tried to reassure the shaking omega. 

“I’m sorry,” Jared said softly as he entered the room, focusing his attention on Jensen. He desperately wanted to go over to him, but he remained where he was, not wanting to further upset Jensen. “Jensen, I’m so sorry I scared you. Misha’s right, I’m angry, but not at you. I shouldn’t have reacted like that in front of you. Do you want me to leave? Would you like Misha to stay with you instead?” He saw the quizzical look Misha shot him over his shoulder and he shrugged at him. It was the only thing he could think of to offer Jensen to make him feel safe. Knowing Jensen wouldn’t or couldn’t answer him, he started to gather his things. 

Jensen watched the alpha as he started to pack up his belongings. The alpha was leaving and he didn’t want him to, which confused him. He had watched as the alpha and beta spoke, looking at him and then back at each other. The alpha was angry, that he could tell easily enough. He had seen angry alphas before. But seeing the alpha’s eyes flashing to red had terrified him enough to have him cowering in the corner of his cage and mewling in fear. He had been frightened by him, but he didn’t want him to leave. He looked wide-eyed at the beta, shaking his head, trying to get him to stop the alpha from leaving him. The beta kept looking at him, not understanding what he wanted. Terrified that the alpha was leaving him, he howled, trying to make himself understood. 

Misha startled at the sound of what he took as distress coming from Jensen. He looked at him and saw Jensen’s eyes focused on Jared, he turned to him to find that Jared was standing still, clearly in shock, holding his duffel bag in one hand and his backpack in the other. “Jared, I’m going to take that as he’s not thrilled about the idea of you leaving. I’m definitely not going to take it as an insult that he prefers you over me.”

Jared lowered his bags to the floor and walked over to Jensen, stopping in front of him as Jensen snaked a hand through the bars, barely touching him before he pulled his arm back. “Okay, so you want me to stay. I can do that. Did you eat?” He watched as Jensen moved away from him to sit on the mattress.

“He ate a few blueberries, but I think he was more interested in watching for you to return. He mostly laid on the mattress while I read to him. Aside from what just happened, we had a good day.” Misha shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.

Jared gave Misha a relieved smile. “Good, I’m glad to hear that.” He turned back to Jensen to find him sitting on the mattress watching them. “Do you want more blueberries?” He looked at Misha, “Where’s the bag?”

“With my book,” Misha explained as he pointed to the book. “He doesn’t seem too interested in eating right now. Speaking of which, I want you to be careful with what you’re feeding him. Don’t introduce him to rich foods too quickly. That could cause him to become sick. His body isn’t used to being fed regularly.”

“Yeah, got it. Aside from toast and fruit, what else can I feed him?”

“Anything bland for now. Toast is fine, crackers, applesauce, pudding, Jello, broth.” He looked back at the cage and then shrugged. “Good luck with the broth.” He looked down at his watch and then up at Jared. “I’ve got to go. I need to get back to my patients. Judging by how he seems, I think you’re doing a good job with getting him to interact with you and me. You might want to see how he reacts to Felicia and Matt. It might be good for him to get used to having others around him, especially since you’ll be needed to deal with getting this pack back on its feet.”

Jared gave Misha a tight smile and then nodded. “I’ll think about it. I don’t want to put him through more than he can handle right now. I know I really can’t have Christian, Chad, or Aldis near him right now, not with them being alphas. And while Rich is good at his job, he prefers engines to people.”

Misha nodded in understanding. “Understood. I’ll talk to you later. Call me if you need anything else.” Misha turned to Jensen and crouched down in front of him. “I enjoyed our time together. You’re exceptional at listening. I hope we can spend some more time together again.” He grabbed his book and backpack. “I’ll show myself out. I’ll call if there’s anything new or if new patients come in.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Jared said as Misha packed up and then left. He walked back over to Jensen and sat down in front of the cage. He grabbed the bag of blueberries and showed them to Jensen. “Do you want any more, or are you all set for now?”

From the mattress, Jensen watched the alpha,  _ Jared _ , his mind supplied for him. When Jared offered him the food, he wrinkled his nose at it, hoping Jared would understand that he didn’t want to eat right now. Furthering his point, he curled up on the mattress and closed his eyes. Right now, he felt safe and he was happy that Jared wasn’t leaving him.  _ Jared _ , he liked the sound of the alpha’s name and referring to him as Jared instead of alpha just seemed right.

“Okay, you’re not hungry. Are you going to take a nap?” Jared chuckled when he saw Jensen open his eyes only to close them again. “That’s called playing possum. Don’t think I don’t have your number. I see exactly what you’re doing.” He heard Jensen huff at him and he couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Okay, I can see I’m going to have my hands full with you.” He slid the bag containing the blueberries through the bars and then got up. “Those are in case you want a snack. I’ve got some work to do, while you’re taking your nap.” He got up and moved over to his mattress, grabbing his backpack as he went. He stopped when he heard Jensen making a sound like he was gurgling. He was about to sit down, but stopped to find out if something was wrong with Jensen. He found him pressed up against the bars with his right arm waving through them. “Jensen, what’s wrong?” Jensen didn’t seem like he was in pain, or in trouble. He cocked his head to the side, trying to figure out what Jensen was doing, and then it made sense. Jensen was interested in his backpack. “Do you want to know what’s in here?”

As soon as he heard Jared moving around, Jensen dared to open his eyes to find that Jared had turned his back on him. Curious as to what he was doing, Jensen sat up to watch him. He noticed the smaller black backpack in Jared’s hands, just like the one the beta had. Curiosity got the better of him as he pushed himself against the bars, and reached out, trying to get Jared’s attention. He hadn’t realized he had made a sound until Jared stopped and turned to look at him. He watched as Jared walked over to him, carrying the backpack. He peered at it, wondering what it held and if Jared would show him. 

Jared gave Jensen a sly smile, knowing he was extremely interested in what he held in his hands. Maybe using his interest would help him. “I’ll make another deal with you. You let me open the door to your cage, and I’ll show you what’s in here? How does that sound?” He watched as Jensen's features changed from wide-eyed curiosity to apprehension. “I promise, I won’t come in. I won’t try to touch you. Please Jensen, trust me.” 

Jensen narrowed his eyes at Jared, scowling at him. He didn’t know what to make of Jared asking him if he could open the door to his cage. He pushed himself away from the front of the cage, backing up to wait to see what Jared would do. He felt himself bristle as Jared opened and he braced himself for an attack.

Taking a chance, Jared walked over to the door, lifted the latch, and opened it. He knelt down, ready to open his backpack when he heard Jensen mewl in fear. “Okay, Jensen, I’m not going to hurt you.” Thinking that if he sat crossed-legged, Jensen might not find that as intimidating as him either kneeling or possibly crouching in front of him, he moved into that position, waiting for Jensen to calm down. When Jensen stopped mewling, he offered him a soft smile. “Are you ready to see what’s inside? I’m afraid you might be disappointed like the last time.” As Jensen crept closer to him, he unzipped the backpack, opening it to reveal its contents.

Jensen watched as Jared sat on the floor. Figuring it would be harder for him to attack from that position, he cautiously moved closer. He made sure to keep the mattress between them, unwilling to completely trust that Jared wouldn’t try to grab at him. Keeping himself in a crouched position, he peered over at the open backpack still interested in what it held. He watched as Jared began to pull the contents out, placing them on the mattress as he explained what they were. This time, the contents held his interest.

Seeing that he had Jensen’s interest, if not his trust, Jared began to pull out the items in his backpack, explaining what they were. He held up a file folder, showing it to Jensen. “There’s not a lot here, but this is a file I have on Ashland. It told me what I needed to know about the pack alpha, his second in command and the area.” He placed the folder down and pulled out the next item. “This is my phone, which I can make phone calls on. I can play a few games on it and music.” He placed that on top of the folder and pulled out his tablet. “This is my tablet. I mainly use it for work. I can email my supervisor and others that I need to communicate with. It’s bigger than my phone, but easier to use than my laptop which is the only other thing in here, aside from their charging cords.” He put aside his tablet and pulled out his laptop. He heard Jensen suck in his breath when he saw it, and turned to look at him. He smiled when he saw Jensen’s wide eyes moving from one device to the other, showing his interest in them. “That’s my laptop. I use it for work and other things. I have to charge everything, and also call Felicia to get her to connect me with the outside world so I can write up my reports and send them to JD, my supervisor.” He opened the laptop, showing Jensen what it looked like, even though it wasn’t connected to anything before closing it and pulled out the cords. “Wait until you see them when they’re working the way they’re supposed to.” 

Jensen eyed the items, wanting desperately to touch them. He raised his hands, only to quickly pull them back. He was sure if he tried to touch anything Jared would yell at him, but he really wanted to know what these things felt like, and what they did. He watched Jared, waiting to see if he would reach out and hit him.

Seeing Jensen reaching out to touch things, only to drop his hands had Jared frowning. “You can touch them, if you’d like. You just can’t keep them.” He pushed them closer to Jensen and sat back, watching as Jensen looked at him and then down at the items before reaching out to run his fingers over everything. He saw the look of uncertainty on Jensen’s face, but remained silent. He wanted Jensen to understand that he meant what he said and he knew that until Jensen trusted him, Jensen wouldn’t believe him that he was safe, that he wouldn't hurt him. 

Jensen gave a soft chirp of surprise when Jared pushed the items closer to him. The alpha wasn’t reaching to hit him, he wasn’t trying to hurt him. Jared was offering him the chance to look at the items, to touch them, to even hold them. Still not fully believing this wasn’t some type of trick, Jensen hesitantly reached out with one hand, touching the last item, the laptop, that Jared had placed on the mattress. He ran his fingertips over the smooth surface before pulling his hand away. When Jared didn’t yell at him or attempt to hit him, he reached out again to pull the laptop closer to him, wanting to open it like he had seen Jared do. Fitting his fingers between the top and bottom of the laptop, he managed to open the laptop and then looked up at Jared with a small smile on his face. When he saw Jared smiling at him, his smile grew wider as he began to relax. He ran his fingers over the screen and keyboard, feeling the difference in textures before pushing it toward Jared, wanting him to show him what it did.

Sensing what Jensen wanted, Jared shook his head. “I’m sorry. It’s not charged right now.” At the look of confusion on Jensen’s face, he tried to figure out a way to explain that the charge had run out. Since finding Jensen in the condition he had been in, and dealing with the other omegas, he had forgotten to charge his devices. He also hadn't had Felicia set him up on the secure network, which he was sure JD would ream him for later. It wasn’t like him to overlook the small details in his line of work, but then again, he had never come across a situation like Jensen’s. He was pulled from his thoughts when Jensen pushed at the laptop again. He pointed at his devices, then raised his hands, placed them against each other as if in prayer and then placed them against the side of his face and closed his eyes briefly. “Sleeping,” he said as he opened his eyes, hoping Jensen would understand him. 

Jensen watched Jared, curious about what he was doing. His eyes widened and his lips formed an ‘O’ when he understood that Jared was telling him the items in his backpack were sleeping. He watched Jared reach for and pick up the laptop, closing it before replacing it in his backpack. As Jared reached for the smaller item, he dared to reach out as well and touch the alpha. His touch was twofold, wanting to touch the item and he wanted to know what the alpha felt like. Wide-eyed he looked at Jared, hoping he wouldn’t be attacked. 

At first Jared didn’t know what to make of Jensen touching him. He blinked at him owlishly before recovering enough to speak. “This one’s a little trickier in opening it,” he explained as he picked up the tablet and popped off the cover. He heard Jensen suck in a surprised breath at the sound and chuckled. “Yeah, I did that the first time I opened it. I thought for sure I was going to break it.” He handed it to Jensen, letting him touch the tablet and its cover before taking it back, covering it and packing it away.

The smaller of the items didn’t really hold any interest for him, but he did touch it before Jared picked it up. The last things he touched were the cords, curling them around his hand and bending them just to see what they would do before dropping them back onto the mattress. 

“Here, let me show you,” Jared said as he picked up the cord that went with his phone, plugged it to his phone and then got up, searching for an outlet to plug the cord into. He found one and plugged it in, causing his phone to ding, indicating it was charging. He turned back to see Jensen pressed up against the bars, his eyes focused on the phone. “Now, it’s trying to wake up.” He walked back over to the cage, knelt down, and finished repacking his backpack. “I have to do that with the others so I can write up my reports. But before I do that, I think we should have something to eat and then I need to call Felicia and have her work her techie magic for me.” He stood up, carrying his backpack to deposit it on his mattress. “I’m going to get us lunch, I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said before leaving the room.

Feeling safer around Jared, Jensen dared to leave the door to the cage open as he sat in the middle of his mattress. Despite Jared’s size, he was pretty confident that should the alpha try to attack him, he would be able to get the door closed before Jared got to him. But if the other alphas tried anything with him, he wouldn’t hesitate to defend himself. With that thought, he moved closer to the door, keeping himself at the ready in case someone other than Jared entered the room. 

Jared puttered around the kitchen, looking for something he could make for them. Keeping in mind what Misha has said about bland food, he settled on chicken broth with some crackers. While he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of just having broth, he wasn’t about to make himself something else to eat in front of Jensen. He didn’t see the fairness in that. He grabbed two bottles of water and brought them back as the broth simmered on the stove. As he walked in, he noticed the door to the cage was still open, but chose to remain silent on the subject. In keeping with how he had given Jensen his food earlier, he walked over to the cage and slid the bottle through the bars, waiting for Jensen to take it from him. When Jensen did, he nodded at him before leaving the room again. A few minutes later, he returned carrying the bowls of soup in his hands and a box of crackers tucked under his left arm. He stood for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to not only give Jensen the soup, but to make sure he ate it without burning his mouth or by spilling it on himself. Taking a chance, he walked over to the open door of the cage and placed both bowls down. He heard Jensen “hmm” at him as he sat down, waiting for Jensen’s curiosity to get the better of him. 

Jensen sniffed the air as he cautiously eyed Jared, not sure of what to make of the alpha’s actions. He moved closer to peer into the bowl and pulled back from it when he reached it, as it was something other than the apples and blueberries Jared had fed him earlier. He looked up at Jared and cocked his head to the side, waiting for Jared to speak to him.

“This is broth,” Jared explained and then held up the crackers. He saw a hint of awareness in Jensen’s green eyes when he recognized what he was holding. 

Moving quickly, Jensen reached for the hidden bag of crackers Jared had traded with him for the apple slices. He held up the nearly empty bag and then shook it at Jared, indicating he wanted more. 

“Now when did you eat those?” Jared questioned with a chuckle, only to have Jensen smile back at him. He hadn’t seen Jensen eating anything other than what he had fed him. “Sly devil.” He shook his head at Jensen when he shook the bag at him again. “No, we’re going to eat the broth, with the crackers. You have to be careful because this is hot. Watch me first.” He picked up his bowl, in one hand and the spoon in the other, blowing on the soup before he raised the spoon to his mouth. After the first spoonful of the broth, he lowered his bowl, grabbed one of the crackers, and dunked it in before eating it. “Okay, now you try.”

Jensen watched Jared as he ate, before attempting it himself. He grabbed the bowl and then hissed in pain when the hot contents splashed his hands. He would have dropped the bowl, covering himself in the hot liquid if it hadn’t been for Jared reaching out to steady the bowl. Wide-eyed, he looked at Jared, wondering how he had managed to move into the cage without him noticing. He gave a soft mewl in fear at having Jared so close to him. 

“Hey, it’s alright. I just didn’t want you to seriously burn yourself. You grabbed the bowl so quickly and I know some of the broth splashed you. You’ve got to go slowly, be careful, so you don’t end up burning yourself. Now, do you want to try this with me holding the bowl while you feed yourself, or do you want me to feed you?” He waited for Jensen to make a move and when he didn’t, he made the decision for him. Picking up the spoon, he blew on the broth and then offered it to Jensen.

At first, Jensen was confused as to what Jared was doing, thinking Jared was going to eat his food. When he realized what Jared was doing, he opened his mouth to accept the offered food. He felt the warm liquid hit his tongue and he chirped in interest, wanting more. After swallowing the first spoonful, he opened his mouth, eagerly waiting for Jared to feed him more. After the fifth spoonful, Jared offered him the bowl and spoon, causing him to shake his head no.

“Yes, Jensen, you need to try for yourself. It’s not that hot now and you shouldn’t burn yourself now. Plus, I’ll give you a few more crackers to put in your bag and a few to eat with now,” Jared offered, hoping Jensen would take the deal.

Jensen eyed the bowl suspiciously before accepting it. But he wasn’t about to give in so easily. Picking up the bag, he shook it again and waited for Jared to respond to his request. He heard Jared sigh and then watched as he took the bag from him and added more crackers to it before returning it to him. With the deal struck between them, he hid his bag and then proceeded to pick up the bowl. He rubbed his fingers against the outside of the bowl before picking up the spoon and started to stir it in the bowl. He heard Jared speaking to him and he stopped what he was doing to look at him. He chirped in surprise when he realized that Jared had moved and was sitting outside of the cage. 

Seeing that Jensen was hiding his food, he took that moment to move back outside of the cage. He watched Jensen as he played with the spoon, stirring the broth and running his fingers over the outside of the bowl. “Jensen, stop playing with your food and eat up before it gets cold.” He picked up his own bowl and quickly gulped down the cooling broth. He heard Jensen huff at him, and he raised his eyes to look at Jensen to see that he had finished the broth and was eyeing the box of crackers. “I’ll give you four crackers, then I need to radio Felicia and charge my tablet and laptop,” he explained as he grabbed the crackers and offered them to Jensen in exchange for his bowl.

Eager to have more crackers, Jensen happily handed over the bowl and then sat contently on the mattress eating them as Jared cleared everything away. He tracked Jared’s movements until he left the room and then he moved off the mattress to crouch down next to the place where he had hidden his food. He pulled out the three bags to look at them. He had managed to get Jared to refill the bag of crackers and he was pretty happy over that. He was also pleased with himself that he had managed to surprise Jared with the fact that he had eaten the crackers without his knowledge. He had yet to touch the other two bags, so he wasn’t worried about having to get Jared to refill them. He was worried about the bag of blueberries he had managed to hide without Jared realizing that he still had them. Some of them had been crushed and didn’t look too appealing to him. Maybe if he willingly gave Jared the bag, he might give him some new blueberries, he thought to himself. He placed the blueberries on the mattress so he could hide his food again. Once done with that task, he sat back down, picked up the blueberries, and placed them in his lap as he waited for Jared to return. He heard Jared speaking and he cocked his head to the side, listening to his voice, trying to figure out if the beta had returned. 

After he had cleaned up the dishes from their lunch, Jared made sure his tablet and laptop were charging before he radioed for Felicia. Leaning against the counter, he waited for her to respond to him.

“Yeah, boss man, what can I do for you?” Felicia called out over the radio.

Jared rolled his eyes at being called boss man, but chose to ignore the moniker. As many times as he had asked her to stop calling him that, she still continued, knowing it always irked him. “Are you free to come work your tech magic for me? I need to get myself up and running so I can work on my notes and reports.” 

“I’m nearly done with what I’m doing right now. I can be there in about an hour,” Felicia responded.

“Good, see you then,” Jared said as he ended their exchange and walked into the bedroom to find Jensen sitting in the middle of the mattress. He noticed that Jensen had something in his lap. He walked over to Jensen in order to see what it was. “Hey, what do you have there?”

Jensen flinched when he heard Jared speaking to him. He was sure Jared was going to yell at him for keeping the blueberries, especially since he had crushed some of them. He shifted so he was no longer sitting facing Jared and then clutched the bag to his chest. 

Noticing that Jensen was fearful of showing him what he had, Jared made his way over to the open door to stand just inside of the cage. He didn’t move in further, knowing that Jensen would see this as him invading his one safe place. He had already done that earlier and was still surprised that Jensen hadn’t gone on the attack, but then again, food had been involved and for the time being, that seemed to motivate and calm him at times. His gut clenched at that thought, at the idea of Jensen being starved. “Jensen, you can show me what you have. I promise not to yell at you,” he said as he sat down, trying not to appear too intimidating to Jensen. 

Slowly Jensen turned to Jared and held out the blueberries. Dangling the bag from his fingertips, he started to hunch his shoulders in an attempt to shield himself from being yelled at, or worse, hit.

Jared frowned at what Jensen held in his hand. “How did you end up with those?” His brows furrowed as he thought back, having forgotten about giving Jensen the blueberries and that he had managed to hide them until now. He reached out and waited for Jensen to willingly hand over the bag and then laughed when he saw the state the berries were in; most of them had been crushed. “You were afraid I was going to yell at you, weren’t you? It’s okay Jensen,” he assured. “I’m not mad and things like this happen. There’s nothing to be afraid of, I promise you. There’s still more if you want them later. I’m just going to throw them away.” He got back up and left the room. When he returned, he found Jensen curled up on the mattress with the blanket clutched to his chest. He chose not to engage with Jensen, letting the quietness of the room settle over them. He sensed that Jensen was trying to figure out how to deal with all the changes that had been happening and he knew he needed to give Jensen the space he needed; it all had to be overwhelming for him. 

Quietly he lowered himself onto his mattress, trying to get himself as comfortable as possible. He leaned himself back against the wall, and closed his eyes, letting his mind empty of all his swirling thoughts over Ashland, Pellegrino, the four omegas, and Jensen. Well, he tried to push any thoughts on Jensen away, but he was having a hard time. Jensen was a mystery. How had he managed to survive years of living in forced captivity? How had he managed to survive at all? He wasn’t sure that he would have if it had been him in Jensen’s place. He shook his head, trying once again to clear his mind as he opened his eyes, noticing how dark the room was as he sat, waiting for Felicia to arrive. Looking around he realized the window had been covered up. Frowning at that, he got up to inspect the window. Seeing that cardboard and duct tape had been used to block out the light, he ran his fingers along the seam until he found an area he could pry loose. Getting a fingerhold, he began to pull at the cardboard and tape until he had managed to rip it free, letting the sunlight into the room. He immediately felt calmer once he had managed that. The room seemed brighter just from having that amount of light pouring in through the window. He’d have to find a curtain to cover the window with for privacy, but he’d deal with that later. As he stepped back from the window, still holding the cardboard, his radio sounded. Dropping the cardboard, he grabbed at the radio, hoping it hadn’t woken Jensen. 

“Boss man, I’m outside,” Felicia stated. 

“I’ll be right there,” Jared responded as he picked up the cardboard. He glanced over at Jensen to find that he was still asleep, or at least pretending before he went to meet Felicia. He tossed the cardboard into the trash and went to answer the door. Pulling it open, he was met with a bright smile and then found himself engulfed in a hug by the beta. “What was that for?”

“Miss seeing you. You’ve got yourself holed up in Pellegrino’s cabin and I haven’t seen you since you dropped that little bombshell about the male omega you found and decided to take on.” Felicia stopped speaking when she noticed how tense Jared had become.

“Jensen isn’t some pet,” Jared growled out. 

“No one’s saying that. I’m sorry if I made you think that.” 

“No, I’m sorry for nearly snapping your head off. That wasn’t fair to you.”

“What’s got you so tense? You know you can talk to me, right?” Felicia commented as she knocked Jared with her shoulder.

Jared returned the gesture of friendship. “It’s just that I . . . I talked to Pellegrino. He purposely caged Jensen; he referred to him as his pet. He put Jensen through things no one should ever have to go through, and he was a child when this happened to him.”

“Jesus Jared. Is that why you’re staying with him?” Felicia asked. “So you can somehow make it up to him? Somehow erase all the bad some asshole alpha did to him?” 

“Yes, no, I don't know.” Jared shrugged his shoulders and pursed his lips together. 

“Can I meet him?”

“Yeah, maybe that would be good for him. He seemed to like Misha. I’m hoping between the two of you and maybe Matt, he’ll allow others to stay with him. I don’t like the idea of leaving him alone and I know I have to be out there, helping to get this pack healthy again.”

“Well, lead the way. Let’s see how much Jensen loves me.” Felicia shot Jared a toothy grin and was met with an eye roll before Jared brought her back to meet Jensen.

Jared stopped outside of the bedroom. “Just keep in mind that he’s nearly feral. He might not take too kindly to having someone new in the room. It may take him a few minutes before he calms down,” Jared warned her.

“Got it,” Felicia responded.

Stepping inside the room, Jared called softly to Jensen. “Jensen, I have someone I want you to meet. She’s a friend, and like Misha, she’s a beta, so there’s nothing to fear,” he assured the omega as Jensen sat up and quickly moved to the back of the cage.

As soon as the stranger stepped into the room, Jensen sat up and scrambled off the mattress, pressing himself against the back of the cage in order to protect himself. He hissed a warning to the newcomer and then looked over at Jared, hoping the alpha would understand that he didn’t want this person in the room. His eyes were forced off of Jared when the person stepped forward, walking past the alpha to stand in front of the cage. He hissed again, letting the newcomer know this was his safe place and he wanted them gone.

Not waiting for Jared to say anything else, Felicia moved past him coming to stand in front of the cage as she eyed the hissing omega. She ignored Jensen’s reaction and held up her hand, stopping Jared as he started to speak. She glanced over her shoulder at Jared, “Let me.” Turning back, she looked at Jensen. “Hey Jensen, my name is Felicia. Like Jared said, I’m a beta and I’m not going to hurt you. No one here with Jared would ever allow that to happen. Now, Jared wanted us to meet so we could get to know each other. That way, when Jared has other things to deal with, I can come stay with you. He doesn’t want to leave you alone, at least not yet. Jared’s the head of our team and he’s needed to take care of things. He needs to be seen by the pack. They need to know he’s doing his job to protect them. Besides, the others aren’t that great at being left in charge. Don’t get me wrong, they’re really great at their jobs, and they’re really nice as far as alpha’s go, but they’re not leaders. At least not for our team or the reason we’re here for. So, rather than turning his back on his duties, he’s going to have me or Misha stay with you. It’ll probably be easier for me to stay with you than Misha since he’s the only doctor here and his services are probably going to be in demand. Mine are invaluable, don’t let anyone fool you. But once I get everyone hooked up with their devices, I can just sit back and monitor things from wherever. But with just a few keystrokes, I can screw everyone. So, you and Jared and everyone else better be nice to me.”

Jensen covered his ears, trying to block out the sounds the beta was making. It was all too much for him. It had gone from no one speaking to him most days to a quiet comfortableness with Jared to now constant noise. He looked at Jared, a silent plea in his eyes for a respite from all the words. 

Seeing that she had stopped to finally take a breath, Jared stepped forward cutting her off from speaking further. “Felicia, that’s a lot for anyone to take in. Let’s give Jensen a moment to take that all in. Why don’t you let him calm down before you bombard him with more? Plus, if you stay with him, you can share all the details of your life at that point.” 

Felicia nodded in agreement. “Right. Sorry, I tend to talk a lot. Like a lot, a lot,” she agreed with a chuckle. 

Jensen gave Jared a dazed and confused look. He had no idea what to make of the beta and all her words. He shook his head as he tried to clear it from all the noise he had been subjected to. He huffed as he sat down, trying to turn away from the beta, hoping she would remain quiet. 

Jared crouched down in front of the cage, eyeing Jensen as he did. He could tell he was agitated; he could actually feel it rolling off of him in waves, which took him by surprise. “Hey, Jensen,” he called out in a soft voice, trying to get Jensen’s attention, hoping he would look at him. He watched as Jensen gave him a tentative look over his shoulder and he offered him a small smile. “That was a lot, huh? Felicia didn’t mean to ramble on like that.” He glanced over his shoulder to see Felicia mouthing the words ‘I’m sorry’ to him and he offered her a smile in understanding before turning back to Jensen. “Sometimes Felicia gets nervous and talks. I do that sometimes. When I was a teenager, my mom couldn’t get me to shut up when I was in a new situation. It could be so embarrassing at times.” He noticed the look of disbelief on Jensen’s face. “I think if you give Felicia a chance, you’ll really like her. She’s a really sweet person.” 

Slowly Jensen turned around so he was looking into Jared’s eyes, silently letting him know that he was listening and willing to give the beta a chance, based on Jared’s word. He took his eyes off of Jared to look over at the beta. The redhead was standing there watching them, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. He quickly looked away from her back to Jared and nodded his head, telling Jared he was willing to try.

Standing back up, Jared motioned for Felicia to join him. “Okay, let’s try this again, but with less words. Jensen’s not used to a lot of sounds or having a lot of people around him, so go slowly with him. Try to keep your voice down so you don’t startle him,” Jared warned and then backed away, giving Felicia a chance to try again.

Stepping forward, Felicia gave a little wave to Jensen. “Hi Jensen, sorry about before.”

“Try going down to his level,” Jared suggested and watched as Felicia crouched down and then ended up sitting down on the floor.

Felicia looked up at Jared to see that his eyes were trained on Jensen. She turned back to Jensen, willing to try again. “So, my name is Felicia and I’d like it if we could get to know each other. I’d like it if I could be one of the people Jared is willing to trust to stay with you until you’re comfortable to stay on your own. Maybe we can be friends.” She stopped speaking, fearing that she had said too much again when Jensen moved off the mattress. She looked up at Jared when Jensen came closer. “Jared?”

Hearing the beta speaking in a soft tone, Jensen moved closer to her. When she stopped speaking, he took that moment to scent the air in order to determine that she was actually a beta. He wouldn’t be fooled by an alpha saying they were a beta when they weren’t. Satisfied that she was what she claimed to be, Jensen eyed her backpack, intrigued by what might be in there. He reached through the bars when she just sat there, not showing him what was inside.

Seeing what Jensen was doing, he laughed. “Jensen wants to know what’s in your backpack. He’s been very curious about my duffle bag and backpack, along with Misha’s and now yours. I don’t know what he expects to find inside,” Jared let his words trail off as he shrugged his shoulders.

Felicia’s eyes went wide when she realized how in tune Jared was with Jensen and what Jensen actually wanted. “Oh! Sure, I don’t mind showing you what’s inside,” she offered as she unzipped the bag and pulled it open.

Jensen scrunched his face up as he looked inside, not able to make out what the bag held. He huffed and then looked up at Jared. 

“He doesn’t understand what you have. You need to take it out for him to look at. Just be prepared, he might want to touch whatever’s in there,” Jared explained. 

Felicia looked up at Jared. “Oh, oh okay,” she said as she turned her attention back to her backpack. Taking out the item, she showed it to Jensen. “It’s my laptop. I can work magic with this baby.”

Jensen eyed the laptop indifferently and then looked at Felicia. He pointed to the backpack, wanting to know if there was anything else inside. He watched as she opened it and pulled something else out.

“It’s just my notebook. I use it to make notes about things. Like if Jared needs me to create a new program for him,” Felicia explained as she leafed through the pages. 

When Jensen realized there was nothing else in the backpack, he huffed at Felicia and then returned to sitting on the mattress. He looked from Jared to Felicia and then back again, waiting to see what they would do next. 

“Well, I guess that was anticlimactic,” Felicia quipped and then chuckled. Getting up she walked over to Jared. “So, you need me to get you hooked up? Where are your devices?”

“My phone’s right here. The others are in the living room, charging.” Jared grabbed his phone, typed in his passcode, and then handed it to Felicia. 

“This shouldn’t take long,” Felicia explained as she pulled up the screen she needed. She tapped at the screen several times before handing the phone back to Jared. “Okay, lead the way so I can get those taken care of.” She turned back to Jensen. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow. I promise I’ll try to keep the talking down to a minimum.” She gave him a wave and then walked out of the room.

“I’ll be back,” Jared stated as he left the room. 

“So, what’s up with Jensen?” Felicia asked. “Is he gonna be alright?”

Jared shrugged his shoulders. “Define alright. He’s been kept in a cage. He’s been starved, abused, and God only knows what else. He witnessed the murder of his parents. How would you be in his place?” 

Felicia let out a shaky breath. “God, Jared, I had no idea. I mean we knew there was abuse going on, but not to the extent of it.” She stopped speaking, daring to steal a quick glance at Jared, only to see how tense he was. “I think it’s great that you’re staying with him. He clearly responds to you and you definitely understand him. I think you’ll be good for each other.” She didn’t give Jared time to respond to her comment before she rubbed her hands together and pointed at Jared’s devices. “Okay, let’s get these babies up and running.” A few minutes later, she had worked her magic, getting Jared logged into the server she had rerouted to her laptop. “Okay, these babies are all set. Anything else I can help you with?”

“Not today, but do you think you can stay with Jensen tomorrow so I can make the rounds? I need to be out there. I need to be helping the rest of my team with getting this pack back on its feet.”

“Do you think Jensen will be okay with that?”

“Well, he didn’t have a complete meltdown, so there’s that,” Jared offered. “I think you’ll be fine. I think he’ll be fine with you.”

“Well, if you’re confident, then I’ll be here tomorrow. What time?”

“Around nine. That gives me time to get Jensen breakfast and some snacks put together for him. He’s motivated by food. Well, at times he is.” Jared chuckled and heard Felicia join in. “He likes fruit and crackers, just in case you end up having to give him lunch. Misha wants me to feed him bland food like toast, pudding, broth, stuff like that.”

“Got it,” Felicia replied with a shake of her head. “Alright, I’m done here. I’m off to see if Misha or Matt need my computer expertise. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She gave Jared a quick hug before leaving the cabin. 

All Jared could do was chuckle as he locked up behind her. Once done, he grabbed his laptop and walked back into the bedroom to find that Jensen was out of the cage and moving cautiously to the window. He silently stood there watching to see what Jensen was going to do. 

Intrigued by the sunlight streaming in, Jensen raised himself up to his full height and took a few cautious steps out of the cage and toward the window. When he was sure that no one wasn’t going to stop him, he took the last few steps so that he stood in front of the window and looked out, seeing blue sky for the first time in well, he had no idea how long. He raised his hand to the window and felt the warmth of the sun against the glass. As he moved, he noticed movement and stopped. He looked over his shoulder to see that Jared was standing in the doorway watching him. When Jared didn’t move, he dared to turn back to the window and caught movement out of the corner of his eye, making him hiss a warning.

Jared watched as Jensen slowly inched away from the cage. He felt the smile on his face as he watched the omega slowly move from the cage to the window. He placed his laptop down on the mattress and watched, waiting to see what Jensen would do. The hiss from Jensen had him turning around and moving toward Jensen. He could feel Jensen’s distress and the instinct to comfort and protect him kicked in. As he moved toward Jensen, Jensen stepped back, and into him. He steadied Jensen by placing his hands loosely on his shoulders, speaking in a low voice, trying to calm him.

“Jensen, what’s wrong?” He heard Jensen hiss again and watched as he raised his hand up to swat at the glass. He realized why Jensen was in distress. Jensen was seeing his reflection in the window, and he fought not to laugh. He took a breath before speaking. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Jensen or make him think he was being made fun of. “Jensen, that’s your reflection you’re seeing in the window. Watch,” he said as he took Jensen’s arm by the wrist and raised it, bringing it up to touch the reflection. He watched as Jensen’s eyes widened and his lips formed an ‘O’ in surprise. “See, nothing to be afraid of.” He felt Jensen stiffen at his touch as Jensen realized that he was standing behind him, with their bodies touching. He narrowly sidestepped the headbutt Jensen aimed at him in his panic to get away from his touch. He let go of him, raised his hands, showing Jensen that he meant him no harm. He heard the whimper and then the low growl coming from Jensen as he dropped into a crouch. “Not gonna hurt you. You can trust me, Jensen. I’m not like Pellegrino and the others who tried to hurt you. No one here is gonna hurt you.” He watched as Jensen scurried back into the cage, distancing himself from him. “I promise you, I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.”

Jensen felt the touch. He hadn’t been paying attention to the alpha, until it was too late. The man looking back at him had upset him, especially when he’d hissed back at him, not heeding his warning to leave. He smelled Jared as he pressed himself against him, and touched him. Jared smelled different to the other alphas who had been there before him. He liked the scent of Jared and wanted more, but when Jared had touched him, taken his wrist in his hand, the instinct to protect himself had taken over. He heard Jared speaking softly to him, lulling him, soothing him.  _ ‘No one here is gonna hurt you’ _ , Jared had said. He wanted to believe that, but he remembered the lies the other alphas had told him. He’d made it back to the cage without Jared attacking him. He grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around himself before he pressed himself up against the far corner of the cage, dropped down on his haunches, and rocked back and forth, all the while watching Jared as he moved away from him. 

Jared gave Jensen a sad smile as he backed away. Clearly Jensen wasn’t ready for even a comforting touch at the moment. He knew that Jensen’s reaction was due to being startled and he had to let Jensen calm down. But at least Jensen hadn’t tried to attack this time. He’d take that as a small win for the moment. He sat down on the edge of the mattress and watched as Jensen wrapped himself in the blanket and rocked himself. Jared knew it was Jensen’s attempt at soothing himself. “Jensen.” He waited until Jensen’s wide green eyes snapped up, looking at him. “Have I done anything to hurt you? No, I haven’t.” He gave Jensen a small smile as he spoke. “You can come out of there anytime you want. You can look out the window as much as you like. I won’t stop you. I won’t hurt you and I won’t allow anyone else to.” He watched as Jensen’s eyes narrowed at him. He knew he was listening to him. The question was, did Jensen understand him? He continued on, “Pellegrino is gone.” He heard the whimper at that son of a bitch’s name and knew that Jensen did in fact understand him. “The other alphas are gone. All the alphas, the bad ones who hurt you, who hurt the other omegas, they’re gone. We made sure of that. We have them locked up and when we can, we’ll be taking them away from Ashland. We’ll do everything in our power to make sure they’re never able to hurt you or anyone ever again. I’ll do whatever I can to make that happen.’”

Wearily, Jared sat down on his mattress, pulled over his laptop, opened it, and proceeded to pull up his emails, reading through what he had been sent before responding to them. When he had responded to the ones needing his immediate attention, he then turned his attention to writing the first of what he knew would be many reports on Ashland. Satisfied that he had included all the pertinent information, he forwarded his report to JD before looking over at Jensen to find him sitting in the middle of the mattress watching him. “Right now, I just finished writing up my report and I sent it to my supervisor, JD. I have to keep him updated on what’s going on here in Ashland,” Jared explained. “We have to make decisions about what’s best for the pack. I’m hoping there’s an alpha pack member here who is capable of being a great alpha leader for this pack. That’s why I have to leave the cabin tomorrow. I need to meet with the members, talk to them. I need to get a feel for the pack and its members. I want to make sure that nothing like this happens ever again here.”

The rest of the night passed by uneventfully for the two. Jared made them something to eat, which Jensen was all too happy to devour. He wasn’t the greatest cook, but he had to admit seeing Jensen happily eating whatever he provided him with made him preen, if only slightly. He continued to read through the reports Matt had sent him, compiling necessary information for another of his reports for JD before accessing Misha’s reports on the status of his patients. Feeling the need to fill the silence in the room, he continued to talk to Jensen about what he was doing, leaving out details as to who and what the reports were about. Those pack members deserved their dignity and privacy just as much as Jensen did. 

At one point, he looked over to find that Jensen had curled up in the middle of the mattress and had fallen asleep. He couldn’t help the smile that spread over his lips at seeing that. He did wonder about the sudden feeling of warmth his body was flooded with as he saw how peaceful Jensen looked. Forcing himself not to delve too deeply into the mystery, he finished what he needed to for the night before finally putting his laptop away in favor of getting some much-needed sleep.

Jared woke the next morning to find Jensen sitting on the mattress watching him. He offered Jensen a sleepy smile as he sat up, rubbing away the sleep from his eyes. 

“Morning. Are you hungry?” Jared questioned as he pushed aside the blanket covering him and got up. “Let me get changed and then I’ll grab us something to eat.” He grabbed his duffel bag and disappeared from the bedroom. A few minutes later, he reappeared, dressed for the day, and offered Jensen fresh clothing for him to change into. He dropped his duffel bag next to the mattress and walked out of the room with the intention of making breakfast while giving Jensen the privacy he needed and deserved so he could change. As he did, he grabbed his radio and called for Felicia, making arrangements for her to come by in an hour to stay with Jensen. He let her know that he was leaving the front door unlocked so she could let herself in, before grabbing their plates and carrying them back. “Okay, here’s our breakfast,” he announced as he placed Jensen’s plate just inside the cage and then moved to sit down in front of the cage, figuring he’d get Jensen’s discarded clothing when he picked up their plates. 

Jensen crawled over to the plate, grabbed it and then moved closer to the middle of the cage, sitting cross-legged like Jared was sitting. He poked at the food and then peered over at Jared’s plate to see if he had something different. When he saw that they both had toast and blueberries, he began to eat. He heard Jared laughing and looked up from his food, intrigued by the sound of his laughter. He huffed, wondering what Jared found funny.

Shaking his head at seeing Jensen eyeing his plate, Jared couldn’t help but laugh. If nothing else, Jensen was shrewd, waiting to see if what he had been given was different than what Jared was eating. “Did you really think I might be holding out on you? I wouldn’t eat something else in front of you. If I’m going to feed it to you, it’s only fair I eat the same thing.” He popped the last of his toast in his mouth as he watched Jensen eat. They sat in comfortable silence as Jared took in the way Jensen was sitting, mimicking him. That was new. Maybe they were making progress; at least he hoped they were. He didn’t want to move, enjoying the quietness they were sharing, until Felicia popped her head in, announcing herself in a high-pitched voice, unsettling Jensen and forcing him to retreat into the far corner of the cage with a hiss and low growl. In just a moment, what they had been sharing had been undone. With a soft sigh, Jared placed his plate on the floor before getting up. As he stood, he stretched and then turned his attention on Felicia, fighting back his irritation. Not only was she early, but she had startled Jensen. “Felicia . . .”

Felicia winced and offered Jared an apologetic smile. “Sorry, boss man.” She could sense Jared’s anger by how tense he was holding himself. “JD called. He said you weren’t picking up and wanted you to call him.” 

Jared reached into his pocket, and pulled out his phone and looked at it. “I turned off the ringer. I didn’t want it scaring Jensen. It takes a while to calm him down when things scare him.” He turned his attention back to Jensen. Stepping closer, he spoke softly to Jensen, trying to calm him. 

“Sorry, Jared, I didn’t mean to upset him,” Felicia whispered as she looked over at Jensen to see that he was in a crouched position, rocking on his heels. “How’s he doing?”

“Could be better, could always be better. But we’re making progress.” Or we were, he thought to himself. “Could you give me a few minutes to see if I can get him to settle down?”

“Sure, I’ll be . . .” Felicia’s words trailed off as she left the room. 

“Jensen, you remember Felicia, right? I know she startled you, but she’s not going to hurt you. She’s going to keep you company while I go do my job. You remember me telling you that, don’t you?” He hoped Jensen remembered. “She’s earlier than I expected. Seems my boss needs to speak to me.” He watched as Jensen began to relax, moving out of the corner to the edge of the mattress. “Good,” he said with a nod of his head. “Now, I’m just gonna grab your plate and your clothes. Then I’m gonna have Felicia come in.” He waited for Jensen to acknowledge his words, hoping he would give some indication that he understood.

Jensen watched Jared as the hammering of his heart began to subside. He heard Jared speaking to him, mentioning his plate, and he quickly grabbed it, clutching it to his chest before realizing he had already eaten his food. Slowly, he dropped the plate onto the mattress and pushed it toward the open door where he had left his clothing.

“Thank you,” Jared said softly as he picked up the plate and clothing. He fought the urge to grab Jensen, wanting to wrap him in his arms and hold him. Again, he had no idea where that thought had come from, but the need to touch Jensen was beginning to overwhelm him. He backed away from the cage, bent down and grabbed his own plate before calling Felicia back in. “Can you stay with him while I make this call?”

“Sure, no problem,” Felica assured Jared as he walked out of the room.

“Thanks,” Jared called over his shoulder. He stopped just outside the door as he heard a high-pitched whine. 

“Whoa, Jensen, we’re fine, you and I,” Felicia’s voice filtered out from the room followed by a loud clunking noise. He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his throat as he heard Jensen huff in response to her words. He knew what that sound was - Jensen slamming the cage door shut on her. He continued to stand there, listening as Felicia scolded Jensen softly, “That wasn’t very nice, Jensen.” He heard a soft mewling coming from Jensen. It tugged at his heart, but he had to force himself to move away from the door. He couldn’t always be there to protect Jensen. 

Jared made his way into the living room to call JD. “JD, it’s Jared. Sorry about not picking up. I turned off the ringer. Anything new scares Jensen and I don’t want to put him through something needlessly.”

“Speaking of Jensen,” JD gave a tired sigh as he tried to find the right words. “I got your reports. It doesn’t seem the kid could catch a break until now. But how are you gonna deal with him?”

“I’ve decided to stay with him. I want him to know that not every alpha is abusive, that he can trust me and eventually others. I’m using Pellegrino’s cabin as my base of operations and the meeting hall as a makeshift jail. There’s a pack member who’s offered Matt the use of his cabin so he can conduct intakes, and Misha has taken over the medical cabin where he’s seeing to the care of the four other omegas and any other pack member who needs medical attention. He’ll eventually do a well-check on all the members and we’ll go from there,” Jared informed JD.

“Okay, well make sure you’re making the pack a priority and not this omega,” JD warned, gruffly.

Jared forced himself not to snap at JD, wanting to tell him he knew what his job was and that he knew how to do it. There was a reason he was the team leader. But he bit back that response. “Of course. The welfare of the pack is of the utmost importance. I’m actually about to make my way to the meeting hall to oversee things.”

“Good, I’ll let you go. Make sure to keep me abreast of any issues,” JD said before ending the call.

Jared fought the urge to throw his phone across the room. Of course, the wellness of the pack was extremely important, but so was Jensen. Why didn’t anyone see that? Turning, he walked back to the bedroom to speak to Felicia wanting to let her and Jensen know that he was leaving and would be back as soon as possible. “Hey, I’ve gotta go and oversee things. If you need me, just call me,” he said to Felicia before coming to stand in front of Jensen who was crouched down in the corner of the cage. Squatting down to Jensen’s level he gave Jensen a soft smile. “Jensen, Felicia is going to stay with you while I go do my job. She’s going to keep you safe. She’ll feed you if you get hungry. I’ll try not to be long, okay?” Pulling to his full height, Jared stood, turned, and walked out, forcing himself not to look back when he heard Jensen mewl. It wasn’t easy for him to leave Jensen, but he needed to do his job. He needed to reassure the pack that his team not only had Pellegrino, Roche and the other alphas detained, but they were also there to do everything they could to get the pack healthy and under an alpha who would care for them, put their needs first and lead them. The latter wouldn’t be easy, he knew that, but it was his job, one he took seriously, and he and his team wouldn’t leave Ashland until that was accomplished. 


	8. Chapter 8

Keeping that in mind, Jared knew Misha was right, he needed to get Jensen used to being around others. He wouldn’t always be able to stay with him and eventually, he would need to pack up and move on when their job was done here in Ashland. Keeping that in mind, he radioed for Matt to come to the cabin. He hoped Jensen would find the company of another omega comforting. 

Jensen scented the air, noting a change in it. There was someone else in the cabin with him and Jared. Not liking the change, he hissed hoping Jared would understand he wasn’t happy. He didn’t like that there was another omega in the cabin. And he certainly didn’t like the other omega being near Jared. As Jared approached the room, the scent of the omega became stronger and he growled his displeasure at having another omega in such close proximity. He was supposed to be the only omega here with Jared. And, Jared should have understood that. When he heard Jared’s voice, he gave another low growl trying to issue a warning that this was his territory and he wasn’t about to allow another omega here.

Jared stopped when he heard the growl coming from Jensen. “Jensen?” Jared stopped in the doorway, watching Jensen. Seeing how he was agitated, he stopped Matt from entering the bedroom. “Sorry, he’s territorial and apparently not being very social right now,” he explained as he turned and led Matt back into the living room. He wasn’t about to put Jensen through meeting Matt when he was upset. He needed to figure out and deal with what had caused Jensen to react that way before he brought Matt in. He gave Matt a tight smile as he looked at him, seeing the hurt cross his face. “He’s still getting used to things Matt, don’t take it personally.”

“Yeah, right,” Matt sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “Logically, I know he’s had a difficult time, which is putting it mildly. I just thought he’d want to be with another omega. I guess . . . I guess he’s not ready.” He turned to go, but stopped, turning back to look at Jared. “I don’t understand why he’s comfortable around you, Misha, or even Felicia. I mean, don’t take that the wrong way, it’s just after what he’s been through . . . at the hands of those alphas, I just thought the last thing he’d want is to be near another alpha. And Misha, I mean, I know he’s compassionate, and Felicia is sweet, but still, they’re betas; I just don’t get it.”

Jared placed a hand on Matt’s shoulder, hoping he would take it for what it was meant to be, comforting. “Look, Matt, maybe it’s because he senses that even though I’m an alpha, there’s no way I would hurt him. Maybe what he needs is to feel that he’s safe and that I’ll provide that for him. Try not to read too much into it. I’m sure he’s only reacting to the changes he’s experiencing. It's all new to him and probably overwhelming him.”

Shaking his head, Matt had to agree. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re right, and I’m probably reading more into it than is really there. Is there anything you think he needs? Maybe I can help him that way?” Matt offered.

“He seemed interested in the book Misha had when he was here reading to him, and my tablet. Maybe you can find him some books he can at least look at? He might like that, and if you can find one I can read to him, that would be great. We still don’t know what, if anything he truly understands.” Jared stopped speaking and rubbed his forehead. “Pellegrino said he broke Jensen, purposefully made him into a mindless pet, but I don’t think he actually accomplished that. I really think there’s understanding behind those green eyes. At least, I hope there is,” he said quietly.

“I’ll look around, see what I can find for you and Jensen.”

“Thanks,” Jared said as he went to open the door for Matt, only to stop and lean against it. “I appreciate you trying to do what you can for Jensen. In case I haven’t said it in a while, you’re a valuable member of this team. How are the intakes going? Anything I should be aware of?”

“It’s a slow process, you know that,” Matt sighed. “Some of the pack are willing to speak up, while others are still too afraid. They think Pellegrino, Roche, and the others are somehow going to evade prosecution or end up back in charge of the pack. They don’t understand that we’ll never allow that to happen.”

**“** Okay, well, keep me posted. Let me know if there are any issues that you need me to step in to take care of,” Jared offered, wanting Matt to know he had his back. 

Matt nodded in understanding.  **“** I have some reports to finish and then I’ll send them your way,” Matt explained before leaving the cabin. 

Jared watched until Matt disappeared from sight before closing and locking the door. Now, he had to deal with Jensen and his reaction to Matt. Jensen hadn’t been receptive to Misha’s presence at first, but he hadn’t hissed or growled at him. He had thought that Jensen would like to have the company of another omega. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. “You know, you’re going to have to get used to being around others. You can’t keep me all to yourself,” Jared quipped. He didn’t miss the wide smile Jensen shot him before turning away from him to lie down on the mattress. Why did the possibility of Jensen being his suddenly appeal to him? God, this was so messed up, he thought to himself as he forced that thought from his mind. He needed to focus on his job. 

Once settled on the mattress, Jared opened his laptop, ready to begin his field notes for his report, and was jolted when music began playing. “Crap,” he muttered, having forgotten that he had opened a file from Felicia, one that contained several music downloads. He went to close the file, but noticed that Jensen had been drawn to the bars by the sound. He watched as Jensen cocked his head to the side, and closed his eyes, showing that he was clearly listening to the music. 

When the song stopped, Jensen’s eyes popped open and he chirped, showing his interest, wanting to hear more. He chirped again, trying to get Jared to play the sound again. Whatever it was, it was soft and pleasant sounding to him. 

Seeing Jensen’s reaction to the music, Jared got up and went over to him, bringing the laptop with him. “You liked that, didn’t you,” Jared observed with a smile. “Would you like to hear more?” He watched as Jensen nodded his head and gave a soft chuckle in response. “Okay, we can listen to more of the music. Let’s find out what you like.” Sitting down, Jared clicked on the next song and winced when Five Finger Death Punch started playing. He watched as Jensen covered his ears, and he nodded his head in understanding. “Yeah, I agree,” he said as he stopped the heavy metal music from continuing. “I’m not a fan. Felicia is always sending me different bands to listen to. I’m more of a classic rock guy myself.” He watched as Jensen lowered himself to the floor and turned the laptop so they were both able to see the screen. He eyed Jensen as he looked at the screen, waiting for something to happen. “I bet you’ll like this,” he said and pulled up one of his favorite video channels that played nothing but classic rock music. He turned his attention fully on Jensen, wanting to see his reaction. 

Jensen’s eyes were glued to the screen as the music started and he watched as the video played. He reached out to touch the screen, swiping his fingers down it, and then pulled his hand back in when nothing happened. He was enthralled as the people moved around and then sucked in a startled breath when that video ended, and another began. He heard Jared’s soft chuckle and he forced himself to look away from the screen to look at Jared. He offered Jared a wide smile, hoping Jared understood that he did like what he was hearing and seeing. He pointed to his ears and then at the laptop and nodded his head. 

“You like the music?” Jared asked with a smile. He saw Jensen nod and he nodded in response. “Good. I’ll leave my laptop on for you. You can watch the videos and listen to the music for a while. I can work using my tablet for now,” Jared offered as he turned the screen so Jensen could fully watch it before he got up and went back to sit on his mattress, needing to get his work done before he called it a day. When he looked up again from his tablet, Jensen had moved from the floor to his mattress and was lying on it so he could still see the laptop. Jared couldn’t help the chuckle that spilled from his lips. Jensen looked so happy, so content the way he was and the last thing Jared wanted was to ruin that. 

Choosing not to, he decided to give Jensen more time to enjoy himself while he wrote an email to his mom, letting her know that he was fine, healthy and at the moment in the field on another assignment. His parents were aware of what he did for a living and how important his job was to him, but they also still worried about him, his safety and his happiness. He knew, if his mom had her way, he’d be mated by now with at least one, if not two pups of his own. She was always telling him about this nice beta or unattached omega she had met that would be perfect for him. He knew she meant well, and her heart was in the right place, he just didn’t need the added pressure of trying to please his parents. With a soft sigh, he finished writing his email, letting his parents know he was safe and not to worry if he didn’t reply right away, as he was being kept busy with what he was dealing with. With a quick glance at Jensen, he clicked send and then turned off his tablet. Setting it aside, he got up to retrieve his laptop; they both needed to eat and then settle down for the night and try to get some sleep. He knew he had a hard road ahead, not only for his team, but also for himself, he needed them to gain the pack’s trust, assure them that they were safe and that the abuse was over. He also needed to do the same with Jensen. He was pretty sure he was starting to chip away at Jensen’s fear and mistrust, maybe not for all alphas, but at least for himself. He just was so scared of undoing everything that he had managed to accomplish with Jensen. What trust he had gained from Jensen could be undone so easily with one wrong move on his part. 


	9. Chapter 9

There had been some progress made with getting the pack to trust his team, and also with Jensen over the last two weeks. Even he had to admit that he was pretty pleased with how things were going, Jared thought, as he lay on the mattress, trying to find a comfortable position. It wasn’t easy since he was trying to get his six-foot-four-inch frame to relax on a twin size mattress. Even folding the pillows up for extra support wasn’t helping. He sighed and gave up, finally resting on his back with his hands clasped over his chest and his feet dangling over the edge. He heard movement and slowed his breathing down, ears pricking up in search of the source. He knew where it was coming from, the open cage. The one that Jensen still found comfort in. They had managed to coax him from it on several occasions, with him pressing himself up against Jared. On the occasions that Jared had been out of the room, Jensen would allow Misha near him, but not allow Misha to touch him if he wasn’t there. Jensen seemed to have taken to Misha and found him a comfort when he wasn’t available to be with him. Jensen also seemed to tolerate Felicia for short periods of time. After a while, Jensen became agitated with her proximity and usually, Misha was called in to help calm him if he couldn’t be there, or if playing music for him didn’t work. 

As for the other alphas, Christian, Chad, and Aldis, he had chosen to keep them away from Jensen. Just hearing their voices agitated him to the point where he would hiss and growl as he pressed himself against the back of the cage. It would take Jensen at least a half an hour to calm down to the point he was no longer growling, hissing or baring his teeth. Then it would be at least another thirty minutes before Jensen would move away from the back of the cage to even dare to sit or crouch down and rock back and forth. For that time period, Jared never left the room. The one time he had, Jensen had howled until he had returned. The sound Jensen had made was not only ear-splitting, but heartbreaking. 

Jensen had been sleeping when Jared had called a few of his team members; Chad, Christian, Aldis, and Misha to the cabin, needing to speak with them. He had been in the room, checking on Jensen when they had arrived and before he could join them in the living room, they had made their way back to speak to him. Upon waking and seeing the other alphas in the room had made Jensen uneasy. He wasn’t sure what was happening or why the others were there. Usually, it was only Jared in the room with him, and sometimes Misha or Felicia. Once he had scented them and realized they were both betas, he knew he didn’t have to fear them. There was no way either would try to breed him or try to claim him as their mate. He didn’t mind Misha; he spoke softly to him and Misha would read to him. The male beta seemed to sense when he needed quiet, immediately ending the story he was reading and letting him lie quietly in his open cage until Jared returned. Felicia, he could only take for small stretches of time. She was nice and talked to him, but at times it seemed like her capacity for speaking was endless. After a while, the sound of her voice would grate on his nerves, causing him to become anxious. He would cover his ears and rock, but she didn’t seem to understand that he needed her to be quiet. The one thing Felicia did seem to grasp when he was like that was that Jared’s presence calmed him down, and if Jared wasn’t available, Misha was the next best one to call.

Now, Jared was here, but so were Misha and three other alphas. He could feel himself beginning to shake. He eyed the door to the cage, realizing that even though it was closed, it was no longer locked. The alphas could force their way inside and try to breed him. That thought had him backing away into the corner of the cage. He whimpered, hoping Jared would hear him and protect him. When that didn’t happen, he began to hiss. That action caught the attention of the alpha that had found him. They looked at each other and then he growled at the alpha, issuing a warning to him that he didn’t want his attention.

“Ah, hey, Jared . . .” Christian started to say, only to be cut off by a low growl coming from Jensen. He knew what that meant, Jensen was trying to protect himself.

Jared looked over at Christian to see that he was staring at Jensen. He turned when he heard the hissing and growling coming from Jensen and it dawned on him that there were three unfamiliar alphas in the room with him. And, it was probably making him fearful. “Why don’t we finish our talk later,” he said as he began to usher Christian, Chad, Aldis and Misha out of the room. He should have thought this through better, but he had gotten caught up in the moment and hadn’t wanted to leave Jensen alone, but he needed to have a meeting with a few members of his team to go over the next course of action for keeping Pellegrino and his men detained until transport arrived to move them to council headquarters so they could stand trial for their crimes. They also needed to discuss how long they needed to stay in Ashland. Sheppard’s team had been called out on another assessment, leaving them without backup, or anyone else to at least take Pellegrino and his men off their hands while they did what they could to get the pack back up on its collective feet. JD had assured him that Sheppard’s assignment was coming to an end. They would just need a day or two to wrap things up, regroup and refuel before heading to Ashland, he just hoped Sheppard’s team moved quickly. 

Jensen watched as Jared made the other alphas leave the room. Jared wasn’t going to allow them to harm him. Jared wasn’t letting another alpha touch him. He crouched down, waiting for Jared to return. When he didn’t, he began to whimper, not understanding why Jared had left him. He wanted Jared to return. He let out a low whine, hoping Jared would hear him. When that didn’t work, he began to howl. He stood up and slammed himself into the bars of the cage trying to get Jared to hear him, wanting Jared to come back. He didn’t like that Jared had left him. 

Jared stood in the doorway, watching as Jensen slammed himself against the bars and listening as he made the ungodly noises. It sounded like he was shrieking in distress, trying to call out for something. He just wasn’t sure what it was Jensen wanted or needed. As he took another step into the room, he must have caught Jensen’s attention, because Jensen stopped and looked at him. Jensen was breathing heavily and shaking, but as soon as their eyes met, he seemed to begin to calm. He dropped down into a crouch, watching Jared as he stood there. “Are you done?” Jared asked as he frowned at Jensen. He cocked his head to the side as Jensen moved to sit and he heard a sound coming from Jensen. He was humming. He furrowed his brows at that, he hadn’t noticed Jensen humming before.

“Well, it seems all that fuss was over not being able to see you,” Misha spoke, startling Jared. 

Jared jumped slightly and then turned to regard Misha. “What? No, he’s just . . .”

“What?” Misha questioned.

“He’s scared. There were too many alphas in one room. He probably thought someone was going to try to hurt him,” Jared explained as he glanced at Jensen to see that his green eyes were set on him. 

“Really? Wanna test your theory?” Misha suggested.

“How?” Jared inquired. 

Misha looked over at Jensen and gave him a smile as he watched him pull his eyes off of Jared and look at him, narrowing his green eyes as Jensen’s eyes traveled up and down him. He took a step closer to Jared and heard the humming stop. He took another step closer to Jared and heard a low whine emanating from Jensen. He ignored the sound as he focused his attention on Jared. “I’m gonna step out of the room. Listen to see if he starts humming again. Then, I want you to follow me out into the hall.”

Jared regarded Misha skeptically, but nodded his head. “Okay, but I don’t know what you think you’re going to prove,” Jared replied.

“Just humor me.”

“Whatever you say,” Jared said with an eye roll.

Without another word, Misha turned and walked out. As soon as he was gone, Jensen started humming again. Jared pursed his lips together and slipped his hands into his pockets before turning and walking out of the room. As soon as he was out of the room, he heard Jensen begin to whimper, and then he began to whine. He was about to call out to him so Jensen could hear his voice, but Misha stopped him. 

Misha placed a finger over his own lips, indicating for Jared to be quiet when he opened his mouth to speak to Jensen. Misha placed a hand on Jared’s bicep and pulled him further down the hall and away from the room. “Give it a minute. I want to see what he does,” he whispered. They both listened as the whining grew louder and then morphed into a long howl of distress before they heard Jensen shaking the cage. 

Jared couldn’t take the sounds Jensen was making; they were cutting him to his core. Without waiting for approval from Misha, he turned and walked down the hallway and into the room. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, Jensen stopped. “Jensen, what are you doing?” He hoped Jensen would say something, anything, but knew he was hoping for a miracle right now when he was met with silence from Jensen. “You know you can come out of there anytime you want. The cage isn’t locked.” 

Jensen saw Jared appear in the doorway and quieted. He slid down into a sitting position as he kept his eyes on Jared. He began to hum, feeling safe with the large alpha standing there. He had never felt this way around another alpha since he had been here, but with Jared, he felt safe and cared for. He stopped humming when he saw Misha enter the room again.

“So, he calmed right down as soon as you walked back in,” Misha stated.

Jared turned to regard Misha. “Yeah, what the hell does that mean?” he asked as he glanced back over at Jensen.

“He trusts you. He feels safe with you. That’s what it means. It’s probably the safest he’s felt in years with an alpha so close to him. Don’t screw that up,” Misha said before he left. 

He hoped he wasn’t screwing things up. He just knew that he was overwhelmed and humbled by the knowledge that Jensen trusted him, knowing he was an alpha. And, if he was honest with himself, he was intrigued by Jensen. He felt a connection with Jensen, one he found he wanted to explore more. He heard the movement again and turned his head toward it, forgetting his thoughts and wondering what Jensen was up to. Jensen was usually asleep by now. Maybe he was having a hard time finding a comfortable position as well, since Jensen was only a few inches shorter than himself. The movement sounded closer to him and he raised his head to look at Jensen. He was out of the cage and only a few feet from him. Jensen was sitting on his haunches with one of his blankets and a pillow in his hands. Jared narrowed his eyes and waited to see what he would do next. He watched as Jensen plopped the pillow down on the floor and laid down, covering himself with the blanket. Jared frowned at seeing this. He knew the floor was cold, but didn’t say a word, as he was too interested in seeing what Jensen would do next. When it seemed that Jensen had settled for the night he sighed and turned onto his side, away from Jensen. He heard a soft sigh coming from Jensen, almost as if Jensen had mimicked him. He smirked, but kept quiet. The thought that Jensen might be mimicking him was too much for him and he sighed again and then waited to see what Jensen might do. He heard another soft sigh coming from Jensen and Jared gave a silent laugh. Jensen was mimicking him, there was no doubt in his mind. 

Jared’s ears pricked up again as the sound of rustling broke through the night’s silence. This time he didn’t move, knowing that it was just Jensen moving around again. However, he couldn’t ignore the noise when it felt like it was happening right next to him. He looked over his left shoulder, but saw nothing, not even Jensen’s sleeping form in the middle of the room where he had been a short time ago. He rolled over, ready to get to his feet, only to come face to face with Jensen. 

He sucked in a startled breath at seeing Jensen with his pillow and blanket pressed up against the mattress he was laying on. He didn’t know what to make of it - Jensen laying there on the floor next to him. He didn’t know what to do or why Jensen had done what he had. Did Jensen need comfort from him? Did Jensen feel like he needed to be near him for protection? He wasn’t sure if he should speak, not wanting to startle Jensen or just lay there, trying to figure out what all of this meant. He heard Jensen humming, which was something he did often when he seemed to be content. How could he be content lying on the cold floor? But then again, Jensen also hummed as a way to soothe himself when he was agitated. He decided to give it a few minutes, wanting to see what Jensen was up to before he said anything.

Jared nearly recoiled when he felt fingers on his arm. He hadn’t realized that Jensen had moved, he was too wrapped up in his thoughts to have noticed. He waited, trying to slow his breathing back down to normal. It felt as if Jensen was petting him and he tensed, feeling Jensen stop when he did. As soon as he relaxed, he felt Jensen rubbing his hand along his arm. What was Jensen doing, he wondered. His answer came quickly when he felt the fingers move from his arm to his face. He felt Jensen’s fingers rub his cheek gently before they moved to his hair. Jensen was running his fingers through his hair. This was something new, and he had no idea what it meant. Should he say something? He wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea. He didn’t want to ruin the trust he had earned with the omega. In the end, he decided to stay quiet. Besides, Jensen’s fingers running through his hair felt good, he liked the soothing feeling he got from it. He heard a snuffle come from Jensen and knew that Jensen was finding comfort in what he was doing. How could it hurt to let Jensen continue running his fingers through his hair? That was the last thought he had as his eyes became heavy and he drifted off into a comfortable sleep.

The sun streaming through the window hit Jared in the face, forcing him to pull the blanket up over his head. He was startled to full wakefulness when the blanket was pushed aside from his head. He felt fingers curl into his hair, and he heard a snuffling noise coming from the side of the mattress he had his back to. He chuckled to himself as he realized he didn’t want to move. He liked lying there with Jensen so close to him, with his fingers curled in his hair. He felt the movement of Jensen’s thumb and forefinger as he worried the strands of his hair between them. When Jensen finally pulled his fingers from his hair, he was able to move and look at him. He was lying on the floor, blanket tucked around his body, and his head on the pillow that was pressed up against the mattress.

“Jensen are you alright?” Jared’s eyes roved over him and noticed that he was shivering from having slept on the cold floor. He forced himself up into a sitting position and watched as Jensen mimicked his movements. He patted the mattress next to him, indicating for Jensen to join him. “You can sit next to me,” he explained. He smiled to himself as Jensen scrambled up on the mattress to sit with his body pressed up against him. He found that he liked the closeness of their bodies, and their shared body heat. 

He realized that despite their close proximity, Jensen was still shivering. Slowly, as to not startle Jensen, Jared reached forward and snagged the blanket off the floor and placed it around Jensen’s shoulders. He felt Jensen leaning against him and he placed his arm around Jensen’s shoulder, drawing him closer. He rubbed his hand up and down Jensen’s arm, rubbing some warmth into his skin. He heard Jensen sigh softly and his lips quirked up into a small smile. 

“Listen to me Jensen,” Jared said in a low voice, making sure he wasn’t scaring him. He turned Jensen to him slightly making sure he was listening. “If you need to be near me, that’s fine. I don’t have a problem with that. What I have a problem with is you sleeping on the floor again.” He stopped speaking, he needed to make sure that Jensen understood him. He searched Jensen’s face, trying to determine if he understood him, and was met with green eyes staring at him. “We can move your mattress closer to mine. Do you want that? Do you understand what I just said to you?” Jared watched for any reaction from Jensen to let him know that he did understand him. The only response he got was Jensen standing up, dropping the blanket he had placed around his shoulders, and walking away from him. He watched Jensen, his features etched with confusion, trying to figure out what he was doing. 

Jensen scrutinized Jared’s face, trying to figure out if the alpha was angry with him. When he realized Jared wasn’t, he stood up and dropped the blanket onto Jared's mattress. He took a few steps and then stopped, making sure that Jared wasn’t going to yell at him. He looked over his shoulder at Jared before taking the last few steps to the cage. He knelt down and grabbed the corners of the mattress and dragged it out and closer to Jared’s. He stood up and placed his hands on his hips and looked pointedly at Jared. When Jared continued to just sit there, he huffed at him and kicked the mattress, moving it a little closer to Jared. He watched as Jared finally got the hint and he pulled his long legs up and onto the mattress. Jensen crouched down again and pushed the mattress until it was flush against Jared’s. Then he picked up his pillow and blanket and dropped them down on his mattress. When he was done, he smiled at Jared as if to say, ‘Yes, I understood you’. 

“Okay, then,” Jared said as he looked at Jensen and the two mattresses pushed together. He wasn’t sure exactly what that meant to Jensen, but he felt it was a step in the right direction. Jensen felt safe enough around him at least to move out of the cage. He wasn’t about to ruin this delicate balance that they had managed to forge between them by suggesting that Jensen move his mattress away so they weren’t right on top of each other. “Are you hungry?” He watched as a smile crossed Jensen’s lips. It was nice to see that; Jensen smiling an unguarded smile. Jensen nodded and opened his mouth as if to speak. The sound that came out sounded like he was trying to say yes, but it was more like a ‘yu’ and that was good enough for Jared at the moment. Jensen was trying, and now Jared couldn’t stop smiling, too. “I need to check in with my team and call my boss before I get us breakfast. Are you okay staying by yourself while I do that and then get us breakfast, or do you want Misha to stay with you?” 

Jensen shook his head no and climbed onto his side of the mattress. He curled up on his pillow and reached out for Jared’s pillow. He didn’t take it, just placed his fingertips on the edge of it, needing to feel close to Jared even though he would only be in the other room. He closed his eyes and began to hum to himself. 

Jared recognized that for what it was; Jensen’s attempt at staying calm while trying something new, moving the mattress from the cage, and being left alone. “Okay, I’ll be back soon.” He reached over and patted Jensen’s shoulder before he got up and left the room. He thought about closing the door, but decided against it; he didn’t want to make Jensen feel like he was cut off from the rest of the cabin or from freedom. He had to leave a message for JD to call him back since he was on another call with Sheppard, which he hadn’t been happy about. His gut was telling him something was wrong if JD was on the phone with Sheppard, despite everything going well in Ashland. The quietness of eating breakfast with Jensen was cut short by his phone vibrating in his pocket. Fishing it out, he sighed when he saw it was JD. “JD,” he said as he answered the call, getting up and leaving Jensen to eat while he took the call.

“Jared, there’s been a development. Sheppard and his team have been rerouted to another pack. It was an emergency call. They won’t be able to pick up the detainees. The new team I just finished assembling is too green. I can’t send them out there to deal with Pellegrino, not even just to transport them back to council headquarters,” JD explained, much to Jared’s displeasure.

“Shit, JD, I’ve already got my hands full,” Jared groaned. “The pack is just starting to trust us. They’re finally opening up to us. I can’t just pull out now. We don’t even have anyone who’s willing to step up to be pack alpha. If we continue to keep Pellegrino and the others here, it’ll undermine everything we’ve accomplished.”

“I know, but you’ll have to work around it. Figure something out, I know you're resourceful. If anything changes, I’ll let you know. Keep me posted of any changes,” JD replied and then ended the call. 

Jared let out a frustrated sigh. He and his team had already been here for nearly three weeks. He needed those alphas out of Ashland. He needed to make some difficult decisions, ones he wasn’t happy about making. There were times he actually hated being the team leader, and sometimes he even hated working for the Council of Weres. Right now, the idea of staying in Ashland and becoming their pack alpha seemed like a great idea. He gave a bark of humorless laughter, if only it was that easy. “Well, I guess there’s a reason why I’m the team leader,” he said to the empty room before he went back into the bedroom to make sure Jensen had eaten. 

Jared called most of his team together, careful to keep them away from Jensen. He had left Matt and Felicia to watch over the other alphas. He needed to deal with a certain issue first; transporting the detainees off the pack lands and then he’d fill Matt and Felicia in when this meeting was over. He surveyed the looks on the faces of his team. With a sigh, he started speaking. “So, it looks like we need to make some changes. Sheppard’s team has been called out to deal with another issue. The new team JD was putting together isn’t ready to deal with things. This pack isn’t ready for us to pick up and leave. It doesn’t have anyone to step in as pack alpha, which puts us in a tough position. We have to get Pellegrino, Roche and the other alphas off pack lands and back to the council.” He heard a few murmurs but continued. “What I’m proposing is this; Rich, Aldis, and Chad, the three of you take our detainees back while the rest of us stay here. That leaves us with five here while the three of you drop them off. Aldis, you’re free to return to your mate at that point.” He held up his hand, stopping Aldis’ protests. “No one would have any issue with you doing that. You need to be with your mate. You need to strengthen the mating bond. We all understand that need.” He watched as Aldis shook his head and he started to speak, only to be cut off by Aldis.

“We’re here to do a job. My mate understands that. I’ll return to her when this is done and we all go home  _ together _ ,” Aldis confirmed. 

Knowing he wouldn’t be able to talk Aldis out of his decision, Jared nodded in understanding. “Great, it’s settled. When the others are safely in the hands of the council, the three of you will return here to help with whatever else we need to deal with.” 

Christian stood up and turned toward Jared. “I don’t like splitting up the team. What if something happens between when they leave,” he said as he swept a hand at Rich, Aldis, and Chad, “and when they get back?” 

“And what if nothing happens?” Misha asked. “This pack has been traumatized. Do you really think they’re suddenly going to rise up, now, when they couldn’t do that before?”

“Look, we can't worry about the ‘What if’, we can only deal with the here and now. Worrying about something that may or may not happen isn’t going to get us anywhere, except maybe caught off guard. So, I suggest we focus on the reason we’re here,” Jared advised before sending his team off with their assignments for the day. 


	10. Chapter 10

Standing in the meeting hall, Jared surveyed the activity around him. They were making the final plans to move Pellegrino, Roche and the other alphas off the pack land and transport them into the hands of the council. His team didn’t like the idea of being split up, and neither did he, but it was a necessity. There were things that were out of his hands and he had the pack to worry about, which were more important than his or his team’s feelings over the issues. He caught Aldis’ eye and nodded to him before joining him. “So, is everything ready for the three of you to take off?” He could feel the restlessness and anxiety of the pack; they wanted the alphas gone just as much as he did.

“Yeah, Rich is just doing his final inspection of the Cougar. Then we’ll be taking off. We should be back in a day, two tops.”

“Good, make sure you stay sharp and keep yourself safe. We don’t know what they’re capable of.”

“Oh, that’s why we’re putting these to good use,” Chad commented as he joined Jared and Aldis. In his arms he carried the chains that had been used on the omegas. He watched as Jared’s eyes widened and he smirked in response. “Yeah, thought they needed a little taste of what they put the omegas through. We’re planning on chaining them and then walking them out in front of the pack. The pack needs to see it, it’ll help them settle down.”

Jared could feel anger bubbling up within him. This decision hadn’t been discussed with him. “Really? And when were you going to speak to me about this?” He watched as Chad’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, you weren’t. Should I remove you from this detail and put Christian in your place?”

“What? No!” Chad started to protest, only stopping when Jared held up his hand.

“I need to know I can trust you. You can’t go making decisions like that without speaking to me about them,” Jared retorted. “But you might just be right. It’s something the pack needs to see after everything they’ve been put through. Make sure the chains are tight, but not too tight. We can’t give them anything to use against us.”

“We’re ready to go,” Rich called out as he joined the group. He nodded at Jared and offered him a toothy grin. “I can’t wait to get these asses outta here.” He saw the dubious look Jared threw him. “Don’t worry, nothing will happen to them while they’re in my protection. I’m not willing to risk my baby being taken away from me.”

“Yeah, it’s not you I’m worried about,” Jared shot back. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get them out of here,” he barked and watched as the three scrambled to follow his order. He would have chuckled, but he needed to keep himself in check. He watched as Chad did his best to suppress his glee as he chained the alphas and then started to lead them out of the meeting hall in front of the gathered pack members. He followed closely behind with his hand on his holster, as the alphas struggled against the chains, snarling and issuing threats to anyone within earshot, and he was ready to offer assistance if it was needed. Thankfully, there was no need for him to step in as the alphas were loaded into the back of the Cougar. Just before the back door closed, he caught Aldis’ eye again, “Check in with me every hour. I want to know you’re not having any problems with them.”

“Got it,” Aldis assured him before closing and securing the door. 

Rounding the driver’s side of the vehicle, Jared stopped Rich before he closed his door. “Check in with me every two hours.”

“You got it,” Rich replied with a smile.

“I mean it, every two hours. If you’re late, by even five minutes, I will write you up and take away your keys to the Cougar.” He watched as a look of horror crossed Rich’s face. 

“Every two hours, got it. You don’t have to be so mean,” Rich commented as he climbed inside the cab and shut the door.

“Stay safe and keep your eyes open,” Jared advised and then slapped his hand against the door, letting Rich know he was clear to get on the road. He stood there, listening to the rumble of the vehicle’s engine as it came to life, and then watched as Rich pulled out. He didn’t move from where he was standing until the Cougar was out of his sight. He turned, ready to head back to the cabin to relieve Felicia only to find several pack members standing beside him. 

“You did it, you really did it,” one member said.

“I can’t believe it. They’re gone.”

“Thank you, Alpha Padalecki. Thank you for . . . well, for everything.”

Jared felt someone shaking his hand. 

“You’d make a great pack alpha. We’d be honored if you’d take over as our alpha.”

“Yes, please,” several members voiced before retreating to their homes. 

Jared stood there, too stunned to say anything. He might have considered being the alpha of the Ashland pack, but that had only been for a moment, when he had been at his wits end with trying to figure out how to fulfill the needs of the pack while removing the alphas and delivering them to the council. Now, he was being asked to consider staying and taking on the role of pack alpha. No, he couldn’t; he had a job he loved, one that didn’t entail him being a pack alpha. He forced the idea of staying out of his mind as he turned and made his way back to the cabin. He needed to check in with JD, let him know the things were underway with bringing the detainees to the council, and check on Jensen.


	11. Chapter 11

Jared rested against the mattress, his back against the wall, his legs stretched out in front of himself. He had heard from Aldis and Rich throughout their transport and had been relieved to hear that they had reached their headquarters without any issues. The alphas had been handed over and his men would start the drive back in the morning. He pulled out his laptop from his pack and opened it, one eye watching Jensen’s reaction as he did. He saw green eyes watching him intently, never really moving off of him. He smiled and chuckled to himself as he brought up his emails, wanting to read through them and stay current on any changes in the council or respond to any messages from his family. He gave Jensen a glance again, and saw that he was still in the same position, watching him from the opening of the cage. He hadn’t moved, just stayed there, watching him. Even though Jensen’s mattress had been moved out from the cage, he still seemed to find some comfort in being in the cage when it was needed, and he couldn’t fault Jensen for needing that security. Things were still new to Jensen, but progress had been made with him and he was proud of that. 

Jared looked over at him again and met the green eyes staring at him. He felt his breath quicken; those eyes were a brilliant green in color. Now that Jensen had been cleaned up, his hair had been cut and he was actually wearing clothing, Jared had to admit that the omega was stunning. In another time, if they had met under different circumstances, he would have been drawn to Jensen. He forced those thoughts away. Jensen was an abused omega, one who was nearly feral, not one ready to deal with anything other than healing. He turned his focus back on his laptop, needing to get some work done. 

Jensen sat on his haunches, watching Jared from the cage opening. The door had been removed while he had been in the bathroom showering. He still wasn’t sure why Jared had done that or how he felt about it. He had run his hands over the area where the door had been several times, feeling the difference of not having the metal bars there. At least he could get out if and when he wanted to leave the cage. But that also meant that these new people could get to him. The thought sat uneasily with him. He bristled at it and bared his teeth to the opening. He wouldn’t let any of these new alphas near him, he wouldn’t let them touch him, or try to do what the last few alphas had tried to do to him. He reached up and touched the bare area where the door used to be again, rattling the cage as he did. When he heard the sound he had made, he quickly snatched his hand away and fearfully looked over at Jared. 

Jared’s attention was drawn away from his laptop by the rattling sound of the cage. He looked up as Jensen quickly pulled his hand away from the edge of the cage and then looked at him, fear showing in his green eyes. He gave Jensen a smile. “It’s alright. You can touch all you want,” he said in a soft voice. He had been surprised by Jensen’s first reaction on seeing the door to the cage had been removed. He deliberately had it removed while he was with Jensen in the bathroom, showering with him. He suppressed the chuckle at the memory of showering with Jensen. He had stripped down to his boxers and then coaxed Jensen to get undressed as he turned the water on in the shower, letting it warm before they stepped under the showerhead. He had kept his boxers on, not wanting Jensen to think that he was about to mate him. 

At first, Jensen had tried to pull away from him as he led him under the water. The only thing he could think was that when Jensen had been “cleaned” by being doused with water. He could understand Jensen’s fear of having the water sprayed at him, if he was right. He stepped in first, showing Jensen there was nothing to fear. Slowly, Jensen stopped his struggles and followed him into the large shower stall, keeping himself pressed against the corner farthest from the water. “Jensen, there’s nothing to fear,” he coaxed as he stepped under the water, letting it run over his head and down his shoulders, back, and stomach. He watched as Jensen held out a hand, letting the warm water hit his skin and smiled at it. Slowly, Jensen inched closer to him and the water. When Jensen was finally under the water, he stepped away, giving Jensen as much of the water as he could. As the water ran over him, Jensen smiled. Jared returned the smile as he picked up a bottle of shampoo. “This is shampoo for your hair. You can use it on your body as well,” he added, figuring it might just be easier to use just that for the time being rather than overloading Jensen with too much. He opened the bottle, squeezed out some of the shampoo, and lathered his hands with it. He heard Jensen’s sharp intake of breath when he raised his hands to his head and began to wash his own hair and then his body. 

“Okay, now you,” Jared said as he offered the bottle to Jensen. When Jensen didn’t move, he repeated the process, bringing his soap lathered hands up to Jensen’s head and massaging his fingers through the cropped hair. He watched as Jensen’s facial features morphed from fright to suspicion to contentment as he worked his fingers back and forth over his scalp. He heard Jensen humming softly and he gave him a small smile as Jensen kept his eyes on him. “Okay, gotta rinse your hair,” he suggested as he pulled away from Jensen, only to hear him whine in protest. He nudged Jensen toward the showerhead and then heard him hiss as the soapsuds ran into his eyes. “Sorry, forgot to tell you to close your eyes,” he said sheepishly as Jensen eyed him angrily before closing his eyes. He brought his hands back up to Jensen’s head, shielding his eyes with one hand as he used the other to run his fingers through his hair to make sure all the soap had been rinsed from it. 

“Your hair is washed, now we just gotta get the rest of you clean,” he explained as he reached for the shampoo and a washcloth. He poured some of the shampoo onto the cloth, letting the cloth absorb it and the water as he replaced the bottle. Slowly, he took Jensen by the arm, raised it, and brought the cloth to his bare skin, gently rubbing it in a circular motion. He repeated his motions on Jensen’s upper body before nudging him under the water to rinse off. “Okay, now you need to wash the rest of your body,” he said as he offered Jensen the soapy washcloth. He watched as Jensen just looked at the cloth in his hand before looking up at him, only to shake his head ‘no’. He pursed his lips at Jensen, trying to get him to take the cloth. When Jensen just shook his head ‘no’ again, he sighed heavily, knowing he needed to demonstrate what he wanted Jensen to do. “Okay, I’ll do it this one time, but the next time you’ll need to do this yourself.” He watched as Jensen narrowed his eyes at him and he knew Jensen was trying to figure out what he meant. “I’m not going to hurt you, just remember that,” he explained as he brought his hand still holding the washcloth down to Jensen’s pubic area. He felt Jensen tense and heard a low warning growl coming from him. “Not going to hurt you,” he repeated as he washed Jensen’s lower half and then nudged him under the water to rinse off when he was done. He stepped away from Jensen, placing the washcloth next to the shampoo. He heaved a sigh of relief, thankful that Jensen hadn’t freaked out or tried to attack him, feeling the need to defend himself. 

He hadn’t realized that Jensen had moved until he felt something wet running over his back and then his waterlogged boxers were being tugged down. He stiffened at the feeling until he realized what Jensen was attempting to do: mimic him. He shook his head. “No, Jensen,” he said softly as he turned to meet his wide green eyes looking at him. He gently took Jensen’s hands in his, keeping his fingers loose so Jensen could pull away if he felt that he needed to. “No, you don’t have to do that. I was only showing you what you need to do for the next time you take a shower,” he explained as he let go of Jensen, taking the washcloth out of his hand before reaching past Jensen to turn the now cooling water off and stepping out of the shower stall. He turned, holding a towel to find Jensen still standing in the stall, with a look of puzzlement on his face. He motioned for Jensen to come to him, offering him the dry towel. “Come here, you need to get dry.” 

Slowly Jensen stepped out of the stall and walked toward him, his eyes darting from the towel to Jared’s face as he did. “Not going to hurt you,” he assured Jensen as he stopped a foot away from him. He heard Jensen whimpering, uncertain as to what was about to happen. “Trust me, Jensen, please.” He watched as Jensen curled in on himself as he closed the distance between them. He enveloped Jensen with the towel, rubbing it over his shoulders before he brought it up to his face and then his hair. He heard Jensen whimper when the towel covered his head and face. “Shh, you’re alright. I’m just getting you dried off, then we’ll get you dressed in clean clothes. Okay?” He pulled the towel off of Jensen’s head and moved back to drying the rest of his body. As he set the damp towel on the counter so he could reach for Jensen’s clothes, he felt a hand on his arm. He stopped moving, waiting to see what Jensen would do. He felt the damp towel against his skin and chuckled softly; Jensen was attempting to mimic him again. This time, he didn’t stop Jensen as he swiped the towel tentatively over his back and then tried to reach up to towel dry his hair. He did put a stop to Jensen’s attempt to mimic him when Jensen managed to actually pull his boxers down. “Okay, thank you,” he said as he took the towel from Jensen’s hands, wrapping it around his hips as his boxers slid down his legs from the weight of the water they had absorbed. Grabbing the sleep pants and t-shirt he showed them to Jensen. “These are for you to wear.” He placed the shirt down on the counter and held the pants up to Jensen, making sure they weren’t too big for him, before handing them to him. He watched as Jensen examined them before stepping into them and pulling them up. “Good, those fit. Now let’s get the shirt on.” He handed Jensen the shirt and turned away from him to get dressed himself. When he was dressed, he turned back to see that Jensen had the shirt on and was watching him to see what he was about to do next. 

He reached over and grabbed the toothbrushes and toothpaste. He placed a small amount of toothpaste on one of the brushes and handed it to Jensen. Surprisingly, Jensen knew what to do. Then again, Misha had said his teeth were in good condition. He suppressed his anger at that, knowing the reason his teeth had been taken care of was because it would be easier for Pellegrino to sell him if he tired of him. Silently, he joined Jensen in brushing his teeth before leading him back to the bedroom, hoping that Jensen wouldn’t react badly to what he was about to see; the door to his cage gone. 

When they had returned to the room, Jensen had made a beeline for the cage, only to stop and stare at it for a moment before making his way inside. Once he was inside, he had retreated to the far corner, pressing himself up against the bars as he slid down into a crouch, suspiciously eyeing the area where the door had been. 

Jared walked over to the cage, stopping where the door used to be, waiting for Jensen’s response. When Jensen didn’t react to him or the missing door, he had turned away, walked over to the mattress, and sat down, making himself as comfortable as he could. Now, he knew he needed to explain things to Jensen. “I had the door removed,” he said and watched as Jensen narrowed his eyes at him, giving him an accusatory look. “I want you to know that you’re safe, that no one will hurt you, and that you’re free to leave the cage whenever you want. No one will be able to lock you in if the door is gone.” He watched as Jensen moved from his crouched position to sit cross-legged, still eyeing the opening of the cage as if he was waiting for something or someone to attack him. 

When he heard Jared telling him it was fine to touch, he did it again, just to see if Jared was telling him the truth. He was intrigued by the alpha that always seemed to be watching him.  _ Jared _ . The alpha was tall and muscular, almost intimidating. But he had been nothing but kind to him. He didn’t know what to make of that at all. It confused him. The other alphas, the ones that had taken him, had been nothing but cruel, hurting him whenever they could. This alpha had smiled at him, and he talked softly to him. He had never tried to hurt him -  _ yet _ , his mind supplied for him. The only time he hadn’t known hurt was when he had been with his parents. He still remembered them, at least he thought he did. He couldn’t be sure if what he remembered was real or not. He got so lost in his mind at times. It was easier that way than remembering what had been taken from him. The life he had been forced to live would drive anyone insane. He’d stopped speaking, there was no reason to. No one had listened to his pleas when they had first taken him. He remembered screaming his throat raw and being beaten until he had stopped speaking. 

He thought back to when his life had changed. Two men had appeared in front of him as he was leaving with his parents. They had gone out to dinner that night. They were doing something. He shook his head, trying to remember. There had been a reason why they had been going out. He forced himself to push through the fog in his brain, trying to remember. Birthday. It had been his birthday. They had just left the restaurant when a van had pulled up in front of them. The door had been pulled back as two men had jumped out. One grabbed him, trying to pull him into the van. His parents had screamed in surprise. His parents had rushed to help him. There had been two loud popping noises, screams, and then silence. He looked out at his parents’ bodies. They were lying in a heap on the ground, red blooming out from their chests. He tried to get to them. He remembered kicking, hitting at the people who were pushing him into the van. Then a voice spoke to him. It was cruel as it whispered to him, “Shut the fuck up or the next bullet goes in your brain. It would be a shame to waste you, really.” He went still after that as hands grabbed him, pushing him down and securing his hands behind his back, and then his ankles were secured together. Something was pushed into his mouth, cutting off any other of his cries. “Pretty omega like you. Your new alpha is gonna love you,” the voice said as he was pushed onto his side and left like that as he was driven away. 

Jensen hadn’t even been given a chance to mourn the death of his parents, too scared that he was being taken to someplace where he would be killed like his parents had, before he found the van had stopped and the door was wrenched open. He blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the light streaming into the darkness of the van. He looked up to see another man, tall with dirty blond hair leering down at him. “Hello, pretty. I’m Mark Pellegrino, your new alpha.” After that, the only thing he remembered was hands reaching in to grab him. He had tried to kick against them, tried to get away, but he had been subdued. Every time anyone came near him, he fought using whatever he could until the alphas had stripped everything from him, leaving him in the cage. 

He shook his head, forcing away those memories. No one had tried to subdue him, not now that the new people had come to the pack lands. He tried to remember the last time he’d been outside and couldn’t, not even when he had been out of the cage. Now, he found himself inching out of it. He shuffled forward as he remained crouched down. He stopped and waited to see what Jared would do. Would the alpha stop him, beat him, or would the alpha let him move about the room? He moved again toward the window, wanting to see outside. As he moved, he kept his eyes on the alpha to see what he would do. Jared never moved to stop him. He never took his eyes off of the thing in his lap. He looked at it, he knew what was in Jared’s lap, he was just having a hard time remembering the word. Since his time here he hadn’t needed words. There had been no one to talk to. The alphas who had tried to breed him, weren’t interested in talking with him. They had only cared about trying to dominate him, bring him to his knees so one of them could finally force him to submit. So far, he’d been lucky. He’d been vicious when he had to defend himself, it had been the only way that the alphas had finally left him alone. Now, he was cared for, fed and he could come and go as he pleased, if he chose to leave the cage or the room, and Jared didn’t stop him. However, they still had a hard time communicating; he wasn’t always sure what Jared was saying to him, but he was trying, and so was Jared. 


	12. Chapter 12

Two days later Jared heard the familiar rumble of the Cougar as it made its way onto the pack land. He walked out to meet his returning team members. He listened as Chad went on about how the transport went down without a problem until the detainees were forced out of the Cougar once they were on council grounds. Pellegrino, Roche, and the others had refused to leave the vehicle. The alphas had snarled and threatened those around them, not caring that no one was listening to them. They hadn’t stopped until they were led away.

“It was awesome, Jared. You should have seen it. Their faces were so red. I was waiting for one of them to have a coronary or for their heads to pop off,” Chad said with a laugh.

“I’m sure it was something to see,” Jared commented before checking in with Rich and Aldis. Finding them well, he sent them off to get something to eat before they threw themselves into what needed to get done next to help the pack. 

Jared was happy to have his team back together, but he felt out of sorts. He couldn’t put his finger on what was bothering him. He just knew something was off. Since Felicia was with Jensen, he took that opportunity to walk through the pack lands, needing to check in with those he could. He met with anyone who was willing, stopping to speak with them, assuring them that Pellegrino and the rest were gone and that they had nothing to fear. Again, he was surprised that many of the members voiced their opinion on him taking over as their pack alpha. They had been impressed with how he had handled not only himself, but how he had taken down the abusive alphas. As he finished his walk, he found himself seriously thinking about the opportunity of becoming the pack alpha, weighing the pros and cons. Finding few cons, aside from most likely giving up his job with the council, he wondered how hard it would be to petition the council to become the Ashland pack alpha. The other thing he needed to think about, if he really wanted to become pack alpha was how to approach JD with this. Then, he would need to tell his team. He wondered how they would react. He sighed heavily; he was getting ahead of himself. He hadn’t even made a decision. Maybe he wouldn’t have to if another alpha chose to step up. Then his entire musing would be pointless. 


	13. Chapter 13

The only team member available to check on Jensen had been Christian. He grumbled as he entered the cabin, knowing this most likely wouldn’t end well. “Why me?” he questioned as he pulled the cabin door open, entered, and then closed it behind himself. “Jensen, it's me, Christian. Now before you get upset, I’m going to be here for a little while. Jared’s out on his morning run, Felicia is dealing with an issue and Misha has a patient. So, it’s just you and me right now,” he explained as he stepped over the threshold. He heard soft mewling coming from Jensen and stopped, trying to assess the situation. Jensen was lying on the floor, on his side in his cage. As soon as he realized he wasn’t alone, and it wasn’t Jared in the room with him, he began to whimper. “Jensen?” Knowing he most likely wasn’t going to get a response from Jensen, he grabbed his radio and called for Misha. “Misha, I need you with me.” 

“Give me a minute to finish with my patient,” Misha responded.

Hearing the exchange between Christian and Misha, Jensen forced himself to his feet, unsure as to what was happening. He began to pace the small area of the cage. He felt restless and didn’t know why. He was also hot, feeling like he was burning from the inside out, almost like when one of the alphas had injected him with something that had made him sick. He also didn’t like the fact that Christian, an alpha, was in the room with him. He hissed and snarled at him. Christian shouldn’t be here, Jared should be. He wanted his alpha, he wanted Jared.

“Where are you?” Misha’s voice called over the radio.

“With Jensen,” Christian replied, knowing that was the only explanation he needed to give. A few minutes later, he heard the cabin door being opened and closed and Misha’s voice. “Doc, get in here. I think we have a problem.”

Misha appeared in the doorway, looking at Christian first and then at Jensen. “Christian, back out,” he said as he slowly walked over to Jensen. He heard movement, but didn’t bother to look back, knowing it was Christian doing as he had instructed. He could tell just by Jensen’s pacing he was agitated “Jensen, it’s just me,” Misha said in a soft voice. He watched as Jensen stopped pacing and turned to him. He observed the state Jensen was in; he was restless, his skin was flushed, and his eyes were glazed over. Seeing Jensen like that, in the state he was in, Misha realized what was going on with him. “He’s in heat,” Misha said in amazement as he stepped closer and heard Jensen whimper. 

“So what?” Christian questioned. “What does that mean?” Christian’s voice was wary, betraying the confidence he usually portrayed. Rationally, he knew what an omega going into heat meant, he was just hoping Misha could help Jensen.

“He needs to mate . . .” Misha started to say, only to be cut off by Christian.

“You want me to mate with him?” Christian asked in disbelief as he took a tentative step forward, only to stop when Jensen hissed at him again.

Misha shook his head, “No, he needs to mate with his alpha.”

Christian’s eyes widened in understanding. “Oh, shit, Jared.” Hearing Jared’s name caused Jensen to whimper, and it sounded so pitiful, breaking through Christian’s tough exterior. 

“Go get him,” Misha said quietly. “I’ll stay with Jensen. He doesn’t see me as a threat since he knows I’m not an alpha.” 

Without another word, Christian disappeared from the room to search for Jared. Knowing he was most likely still out on his run, he decided to look for him along the running trail Jared had created for himself along the edge of the pack lands.

Seeing Christian, Jared stopped dead in his tracks, knowing that he was supposed to be overseeing Jensen’s care. His chest tightened, instantly knowing there had to be something wrong with Jensen if Christian was there. “Christian?” Jared asked, his eyebrows disappearing into his hair. 

“You’re needed,” Christian stated.

“What? Why?” Jared forced himself to breathe. “Is it Jensen?”

“Come on, Misha can explain when we get back.” Christian turned and started to walk back to the cabin. 

Jared tried to maintain his calm, what little he had. Something was wrong and he knew it had to do with Jensen. He knew he was stupid for getting attached the way he had to Jensen. That had never happened to him before and he had no clue as to why it had happened now, with Jensen. But he was attached, and all his instincts told him he had to get to Jensen and protect him.

As Jared entered the cabin he noticed a different smell. He scented the air, catching a sweet smell, reminding him of strawberries and he frowned, knowing that they were out of season where they were. He followed Christian into the room and felt himself bristle; not liking the idea of another alpha being in close proximity to Jensen. He heard Jensen hiss at Christian and then Christian’s response.

Christian threw his hands up. “Okay, okay, I get it. I’m not welcome.” He turned and gave Jared a sympathetic smile, one that confused Jared by the look on his face. “Good luck,” Christian commented as he patted Jared’s shoulder before leaving.

Jared glanced over his shoulder, about to ask Christian what he meant when the sound of Jensen mewling snapped him back. “Misha, what’s wrong?” he asked as he took in the sight before him. Misha was standing a few feet away from Jensen’s cage. Jensen was clearly agitated. He was pacing and he looked flush, like he was running a fever.

Misha turned from the cage to look at Jared. “Jared, he’s in heat.”

“What? How?” Jared’s eyes widened in shock. “I thought you said that would only happen when his alpha was with him.”

Misha walked over to Jared and placed a hand on his shoulder, ignoring Jensen’s growl when he touched the alpha. “His alpha is here,” Misha said quietly, letting his words sink in.

Jared shook his head as the realization of what Misha had just said to him sunk in. “Me?”

“Yes, you. You’ve felt it, the connection between the two of you. You’re protective over him, like no other omega I’ve ever seen you with before. You chose to stay with him. He really only responds to you. He only lets you near him. He tolerates me and Felicia and won’t allow another alpha near him. He recognizes it, his body recognizes it and deep down, you recognize it as well.” Misha glanced over his shoulder at Jensen and then back to meet Jared’s look of shock. “He needs you to mate with him.” 

“Misha, you can’t be serious!” Jared responded as he pulled away from Misha, shaking his head in disbelief.

Misha chuckled, “He wants you. You want him. It would be cruel to leave him in this state.”

“How do you even know this is what he wants? How do I know this is what he wants? This is wrong.” Jared could feel himself beginning to panic as Misha’s words hit home.

“No Jared, denying him what he needs is wrong,” Misha stated softly, trying to ease Jared’s rising panic.

Jared turned and looked at Jensen, saw how agitated he was. “No Misha, it’s rape,” he said as he took a step back. “I can’t, I won’t.” He gave Misha a pained look. “Look at him, he’s childlike,” he said as he swept a hand toward the cage. He heard Misha’s warm chuckle and he forced himself to look at Misha.

“Jared, he’s nearly twenty-two, and he’s far from childlike.” Misha sighed and then looked over his shoulder at Jensen before turning back to Jared. “Look, Jared, look  _ at _ him. I’m going to leave this room. If I’m wrong, and you can’t mate with him, then I’ll come back, say in an hour and I’ll sedate him. But I’m telling you what you already know is true. He wants you and whether you admit it or not, you want him. You’re his alpha and he’s your omega.” With that, Misha walked out of the room, closing the door, and leaving Jared alone with Jensen.

Once the door was closed, Jensen ventured out of the cage. He inched his way over to Jared who stood with his back against the wall, stopping a few feet away from him. He felt the pull to be near Jared, to have Jared touch him, but he was unsure of what to do. He knew Jared was an alpha, but he wanted  _ this _ alpha. He wanted this alpha to claim him, mate with him and breed with him. 

“Jensen . . . I . . . Shit, this can’t be happening.” Jared closed his eyes as he raised his hands to his head and ran his fingers through his hair. Opening his eyes, he pushed off the wall and closed the distance between them.

Seeing Jared move toward him, Jensen stilled, waiting for what Jared would do next. He hummed in satisfaction when Jared placed his hands on his shoulders. He leaned into the touch, butting his head against Jared’s shoulder. 

“God Jensen, do you even know what’s happening to you? Do you even understand? How can I do this to you? I’d be no better than Pellegrino or those other alphas.” Jared let go of Jensen, turning away from him. He heard Jensen whimper and it broke his heart. As much as he wanted Jensen, because he did, he just couldn’t allow himself to give in to his desire and mate with him. The moment Misha had said something about his desire for Jensen, he knew those words were true. He had been denying his feelings for Jensen. But he couldn’t mate with Jensen, he would be forcing himself on him. He and his team took down alphas who abused their pack members. He would never allow himself to become an abuser. He’d rather eat a bullet than hurt Jensen like that. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this to you,” Jared said over his shoulder. He was about to open the door to call for Misha to end this madness when he was stopped by a sound he had never heard before.

“J . . . J . . . Jar . . .Jared.” 

The sound of Jensen’s voice filled the room, punching the air out of Jared’s lungs.

“Pl . . . pl . . . please,” Jensen stuttered.

Jared’s feet faulted as he turned around. His eyes met Jensen’s, looking into pleading eyes.

“Alpha,” Jensen whispered in a voice ragged from nonuse. “Please.” Jensen forced himself to look up into Jared’s eyes as he took a step closer to him. “Mate,” Jensen said, his broken voice sounding out with more force as he spoke. 

Jared reached out to touch Jensen, but stopped himself, groaning in frustration as he dropped his hand, letting it hit against his thigh. He heard a whimpering plea coming from Jensen as he took a few steps closer to him and he sucked in a startled breath. 

As Jensen stood in front of Jared, he raised his left hand to his chest, placing his hand over his heart before raising his right hand to place it over Jared’s heart. He looked into Jared’s eyes and smiled. “Mate.” 

Jared stilled at the tender touch, not knowing what to do. He knew his body wanted Jensen; he felt his desire for him. Who wouldn’t want the omega standing in front of him? Jensen was beyond attractive. Maybe if they had met under different circumstances he could have said yes to what Jensen was offering, given in to what he wanted, and mated with Jensen without a second thought and without reservation. He shook his head no in an attempt to clear away his thoughts. 

“Not child,” Jensen huffed out in reference to what Jared had said earlier about him, not seeing the irony in his words as he gave a weak push against Jared’s chest with the hand still resting over his heart. “Hide self,” he said as he withdrew the hand resting over his own heart to his forehead, tapping a finger to it. “Wait for mate.” He licked his tongue over his lips, not realizing how sinful that action was to Jared as he watched the pink tongue move over his plush lips. “Jared, mate.”

Jared sucked in a breath, surprised by Jensen’s words. And just what the hell was he supposed to do with that revelation? He felt his body react to Jensen’s touch, to his closeness and his enticing scent and he was having a difficult time finding a reason to say no. He reached out, cupping Jensen’s cheeks in his hands, ready to lean in and kiss him before his brain started to work again. He had to diffuse the situation before it went any further as Jensen tried to press himself against him. He dropped his hands onto Jensen’s shoulders, stopping him from moving.

“Jensen, listen to me,” He closed his eyes, trying to find the right words to say. He didn’t want to hurt Jensen, that was the last thing he wanted. He knew they were in a precarious situation and he had to tread carefully. Opening his eyes, he saw Jensen staring at him. “Right now, your hormones are ramping up. You need to get yourself under control. Showers. We’re both going to take a shower. Separate showers,” he explained. “If, after that, you still feel this way, we’ll talk. I just can’t mate with you like this. I can’t force you, while you’re in heat, to become my mate. Mating means forever. Go take a shower and give yourself some distance from me.”

Jared dropped his hands from Jensen’s shoulders and took a few steps back from him, giving emphasis to his words. He didn’t miss the wounded look Jensen shot him as he left the room. He also didn’t miss the twitch his cock gave to the sight of Jensen’s retreating backside. He was so screwed, he thought to himself as he paced back and forth, trying to figure out what to do. He ran his hands through his hair as he tried to figure out how to get Jensen to understand that yes, he wanted him, but he couldn’t give in to his desire. Jensen was beautiful, and there was no denying he was attracted to Jensen. He felt the pull between them. At first, he had thought it was just the alpha in him wanting to protect an abused omega, but he had to admit to himself that it had been more than just that. Yes, he wanted nothing more than to protect Jensen, but he also wanted to keep others away from him, especially other alphas. He hated being away from Jensen for any length of time, and he could sense the same from Jensen. He wanted Jensen in a way he had never experienced before. He wanted to take Jensen as his mate. 

Jared heard the door close and he turned to see who had entered the room. He stood rooted to the floor as he looked at Jensen. It was clear to him that Jensen hadn’t taken a shower; he was still wearing the same clothes he had on when he left, and his hair was dry. He took a deep breath, scenting the air and Jensen’s enticing sweet smell reminding him of strawberries and something more that he couldn’t put into words. Not that it mattered because it was beyond primal. He would forever think of Jensen whenever he smelled strawberries. “Jensen,” he managed to get out before Jensen took a few steps toward him. 

“Mate, forever,” Jensen said as he took a few steps forward. He scented the air around him, taking in the warm rich scent of Jared, reminding him of ginger, and hummed in satisfaction. Jared smelled of home, of alpha, and of mate to him. He felt safe with Jared, hating when Jared left him for any length of time. He had felt something pulling him toward Jared the moment Jared had walked into the room that first day. He hadn’t understood what it was until now, but he did now, and he wanted it. Jared was his mate. Jared was his alpha and he wanted to be claimed by him. 

“Jensen, do you even know what you're saying?” Jared murmured. 

“Not child,” Jensen repeated as he gave Jared a pleading look. “Understand.” He waited for Jared to respond. When he didn’t, Jensen took another step closer to him. “Omega,” he said as he pointed to himself. “Alpha,” he spoke as he pointed to Jared.

“Yes, I’m an alpha and you’re an omega,” Jared acknowledged. He would have laughed at Jensen’s observation if the situation hadn’t been so delicate between them. He knew he was treading on thin ice as it was with Jensen and now he was trying to make him understand that he was doing what was best for him without hurting him.

Jensen huffed and shook his head at Jared. He needed to make Jared understand what he was trying to tell him with his limited speech. He hadn’t spoken in so long and even though he listened to what those around him said, he hadn’t used words in years. He had trouble recalling what words meant, and his voice hadn’t been heard in years because no one listened to him. He had learned that what he said fell on deaf ears after he had pleaded for Pellegrino to let him go. He had begged the other alphas to take him home only to be told no, that he had no say and he might as well keep quiet or they would remove his vocal cords. After seeing his parents killed and what had been done to the other omegas, he truly believed that they would do that to him. Rather than tempting fate, he had stopped speaking, until now. To make it through the day, he had reverted to becoming animalistic. It had been the only way the alphas had left him alone. But Jared had appeared and showed him that not all alphas were cruel. Slowly he had opened up to Jared, forming a bond with him, and he knew Jared felt it as well. Even before his first heat had finally hit him, he had felt a desire for Jared to touch him or to be able to touch Jared. At first, he had thought it was because he had been kept in the cage, away from anyone who could give him comfort and Jared had been the first to offer that to him. But it was because of something deeper within himself. It was a longing, a want for a mate that burned within him. And he wanted Jared. He placed a hand on his chest as he motioned with his other hand at Jared. “Jared’s omega. Jared’s mate!” 

Jared reached out and cupped Jensen’s face, searching his vivid green eyes. “You want to be my mate?” Jared questioned as his heart pounded in his chest. The only answer he received was for Jensen to pull away from him. He sucked in a breath as his mind was flooded with confusion over Jensen’s reaction. Had he touched him when he shouldn’t have? He knew Jensen could startle easily. His eyes widened in shock when he realized what Jensen was doing.

To Jensen, Jared’s words were clear; he was asking him to be his mate. He pulled away from Jared and gave him a shy smile before pulling off his shirt. He let the shirt drop to the floor and then placed his hands on his hips, working his thumbs under the waistband of his sleep pants before pushing them down past his thighs and stepping out of them. Once he was undressed, he pressed himself against Jared’s muscular body. “Mate, Jared,” he husked out, breathing in Jared’s scent. He moaned softly when Jared’s arms encircled him, pulling him in so there was no space between them. At Jared’s touch, he felt his skin tingle, and then he gasped when he felt a new sensation course through his body as something wet dripped from between his thighs. “Ja . . . Jared,” he uttered in shock, unsure as to what was happening to him at that moment.

Jared caught the scent Jensen was giving off; one full of arousal, signaling that he was producing slick so his alpha would mate with him. He felt Jensen stiffen in his arms and he heard him say his name. “It’s nothing to be scared of; it’s your body’s way of getting ready to be mated,” he explained in a soft voice. He leaned in to nose at Jensen’s neck and heard him hum in approval. He kissed along Jensen’s neck softly as he brought his hands up to cup Jensen’s face again. “I’m going to kiss you.” He waited for Jensen to tell him no, and when he didn’t, he gently brought his lips to Jensen’s, pressing them together in an awkward kiss. He pulled away, searching Jensen’s face for fear; when he saw Jensen just looking at him he broke the silence between them. “I want you to tell me if you don’t like something or if you want me to stop. I don’t want to hurt you. Do you understand?” He watched as Jensen nodded his head, offering him a soft smile. He leaned in again, and kissed Jensen, licking and nipping at his bottom lip before pulling away again. His heart was hammering in his chest as he realized he was still fully clothed. He wanted to feel Jensen’s warm skin against his own. Letting go of Jensen, he took a step back, pulling at his shirt until it was over his head. He quickly pulled it off, dropping it to the floor as he kicked off his sneakers. He made short work of shedding his track pants and boxers, kicking them out of the way so they wouldn’t stumble over them. 

Once Jared was undressed, Jensen felt the need to touch him. He reached out and placed his hand on Jared’s chest. He stayed like that, not daring to move further, unsure of what to do next. He heard Jared speaking to him in a soft voice, telling him that there was no reason to fear him, that he could touch him if he wanted. Feeling safe, he raised himself up, cupped Jared’s face in his hands, and kissed him. “More,” Jensen begged when he pulled away.

“More kisses?” Jared gave a throaty chuckle when Jensen nodded his head in agreement, “Greedy,” he commented before leaning in to kiss Jensen again. He pulled away from Jensen, breaking their contact and heard Jensen’s soft mewl of protest. “Gotta lock the door. I don’t want anyone walking in on us. No one sees you like this but me,” Jared explained as he walked over to the door, locking it before he returned to Jensen. Opening his arms, he waited until Jensen came to him willingly. Once he had Jensen in his arms, he kissed him again, not stopping until they were breathless. 

“More,” Jensen managed to say between breaths.

“Don’t worry, there’s more kissing,” Jared assured Jensen as he walked them to the mattresses, hoping they wouldn’t separate while they were mating since the mattresses had been pushed together on the floor. He would have preferred to mate with Jensen on a bed, but at that point, he was beyond caring where they were. All he wanted was to make Jensen his. He helped Jensen to lie down before joining him. Feeling Jensen’s warm skin against his, sent a shiver down his own body. He could feel his cock twitch in interest, and he had to force himself not to roll Jensen over and sink himself into his slick hole. Instead, he trailed soft kisses along Jensen’s lips, before moving on to concentrating on his jaw and neck. 

Jensen willingly allowed Jared to help him lie down. He didn’t fight Jared when he pressed his naked body against his; in fact, he enjoyed the feeling of Jared’s warmth against his own body. He moaned as Jared kissed along his neck, wanting more. “Jared, mate,” he whispered, and heard Jared hum in response. Taking a chance, he brought his hands up to run his fingers through Jared’s hair. 

Jared fought back the growl threatening to escape past his lips, knowing that sound would most likely scare Jensen. “I like that, Jensen,” he said softly and trailed kisses across Jensen’s collarbone. He wanted to do more, he wanted to lick and nip at Jensen’s nipples, but he held off. There would be time for more in the future. He looked up to see that Jensen was lying there with his eyes closed and his mouth open as he moaned softly. As soon as he stopped kissing him, Jensen’s eyes snapped open. “I need to know before we go any further that you want this, that you want me. If you don’t want to mate with me, I won’t force you.” He wanted Jensen, but he would honor whatever Jensen said. 

“Want to mate,” Jensen confirmed. “Please, mate.” He tried to pull Jared back to him, wanting him to continue what he had been doing. 

Jared pulled away from Jensen’s hands. He wasn’t sure if Jensen understood what he was asking for. “Jensen, this may hurt you. Do you understand me?” He pulled in a ragged breath as he tried to explain more to Jensen. “I’m going to do more than kiss you. I’m going to touch you in places no one has before. I’m going to mate with you. I’m going to claim you, mark you as mine, and breed you. You fought the other alphas, stopped them from breeding you. I need to know you understand that I’m going to breed you. I need to know you want that.”

Jensen understood, and he wanted Jared to mate with him, he wanted Jared to claim him, and breed him. He wiggled out from underneath Jared, rolled over, and presented himself for his alpha. He looked over his shoulder at Jared and then mewled softly as slick began to run down his thighs. “Jared, please. Mate.”

Jared groaned in appreciation at the sight before him. He placed his left hand on Jensen’s back as he positioned himself between his splayed legs. “God, Jensen . . . If you hear me growl, don’t be scared. It’s a natural reaction that can happen during a mating.” 

“Not scared. Not scared of Jared,” Jensen confirmed, and then wiggled his hips, trying to entice Jared as he relaxed his body. 

Seeing what Jensen was doing, Jared growled and blanketed his body with his own. The feel of Jensen’s warm and naked skin against his was enticing. He knew he would never be able to get enough, or stop wanting to touch the pale freckled skin. He kissed along Jensen’s right shoulder, feeling him shuddering underneath him. He heard the soft puff of breath escape Jensen’s lips, as his lips touched along his body. He trailed his right hand along Jensen’s back, rubbed over his ass before his fingers delved between the globes of his ass. He heard Jensen suck in a sharp breath as he ran his fingers around his sensitive rim, and then stopped. He placed his left hand on Jensen’s hip and waited. “Do you want me to stop?” 

“Not stop,” Jensen husked out. He wanted Jared to continue, he  _ needed _ Jared to continue. Everything Jared was doing felt good, it felt right, and he felt like he would explode if he stopped. His body was on fire, responding to what Jared was doing to him. “More.” 

Leaning forward, Jared placed kisses along Jensen’s spine, distracting him as he pushed his finger into Jensen’s body. He heard Jensen whimper and he ran a hand along his spine, hoping to soothe him. “I’m sorry. I need to prepare you for when we mate. If I don’t, I could really hurt you, and I don’t want to do that.”

“Jared . . . not hurt . . . mate,” Jensen panted out as Jared continued to work him open, adding another finger and scissoring them. He groaned as he took two of Jared’s fingers. Once he relaxed, he found himself enjoying what Jared was doing to him. He moaned as Jared worked more of his fingers into him. “Good,” he breathed out, letting Jared know he approved of what was happening to him. He whined his displeasure when Jared withdrew his fingers. He was about to protest, to tell Jared not to stop when he heard him speaking softly to him.

“It’s alright, Jensen. I’m going to . . . I’m going to mate you,” Jared husked out as he fisted his erect cock, using Jensen’s slick to coat himself. He took a moment, making sure his cock was covered in slick before he lined himself up with Jensen’s body and began to push himself in. He went slowly, making sure to not hurt Jensen and give him time to adjust to being breached. When he was fully sheathed in Jensen’s tight hole, he waited, rubbing his hand in a circular motion along his spine with his left hand as he held onto Jensen’s hip with his right. All he wanted was to move, but he knew he needed to give Jensen time to process what was happening. 

Jensen pulled in a wet breath as Jared breached him. The pain he was feeling was unbelievable and he fought against the desire to push Jared away, wanting to protect himself from the pain he was in. “Hurts . . . Jared,” he managed to get out and then bit his bottom lip to stop himself from crying out in pain. He heard Jared speaking to him. His voice was soothing, helping to take away the pain. 

“It’s alright. If it’s too painful, we’ll stop,” Jared forced himself to say, despite it being the last thing he wanted, but he needed to put Jensen first. If this was too painful for him, he would gladly suffer a case of blue balls rather than put him through more. “Tell me what you want, Jensen. It’s what you want, not what I want.” 

“Not . . . stop,” Jensen breathed out and then wiggled his hips once the burn from being breached had started to subside. “Mate . . . breed.”

That was all Jared needed to hear. Slowly, he pulled out a few inches before pushing back in. He heard Jensen moan and he repeated his movements, paying close attention to the sounds he was making. He knew he needed to be attentive to Jensen and his needs. He set a languid pace as he moved, wanting only to give Jensen pleasure while they mated. He kissed along Jensen’s neck and felt him relax into his touches. He nosed along the back of Jensen’s neck, scenting his arousal, adding to his own for the man lying underneath him and he closed his eyes, savoring everything he had at that moment. He felt Jensen shifting and he opened his eyes to see Jensen offering his neck to him. He gave a low growl of satisfaction at that offering before he licked and kissed along the delicate column of Jensen’s neck. He heard Jensen’s voice, heard him utter one word ‘Mate’ and he couldn’t hold back any longer. He bucked his hips, thrusting his knot into Jensen’s tight channel and bit down, sinking his teeth into his neck, breaking the skin, and claiming Jensen as his mate. He heard Jensen whimper in pain and he hummed in response, knowing this would soothe him. 

As Jared bucked into him, Jensen latched onto his arm, needing to anchor himself to his alpha. He felt the need to mark Jared as his alpha and bit down on his arm. He heard Jared hiss in pain, and in response he hummed, trying to soothe away the pain he had caused Jared. 

It was rare for an alpha to be marked by his or her mated omega, but Jared didn’t care. He scooped Jensen into his arms, rolling them so they were lying on their sides. He rutted into Jensen and he felt Jensen buck his hips in response. He trailed his fingers down Jensen’s stomach, not stopping until he reached Jensen’s cock. He wrapped his fingers around it and began to fist Jensen, working him to an erection. “I love you. I’m going to make sure you know how pleasurable mating can be.” 

Jensen closed his eyes, enjoying what Jared was doing to him. He pulled in a stuttered breath as heat began to pool in his belly. “Jared,” he called out, his voice sounding unsure, as his back arched. 

Sensing Jensen’s confusion as to what he was experiencing for the first time, Jared did his best to reassure him. “It’s alright, let yourself go. You’re safe. It’s your body's way of responding to pleasure,” Jared assured him as he continued to gently fist him until Jensen orgasmed.

Jensen felt his body stiffen as his breathing quickened. He opened his mouth to call out to Jared but all that escaped his lips was a guttural cry as his orgasm ripped through his body. He felt Jared’s hand on him, still stroking him and then he heard Jared speaking to him.

“That’s what a mating should be about, both giving and receiving pleasure. That was . . . that was,” Jared drew in a breath as he tried to focus on explaining things to Jensen. He could feel his own orgasm building, but he needed Jensen to understand what was happening, what Jensen had just experienced; his first orgasm. “Jensen, you had an orgasm; it’s your body’s way of showing your pleasure for what just happened between us.” He groaned and then buried his face in the crook of Jensen’s neck, kissing over his claiming bite as he came, spilling his release into Jensen’s warm body. He rutted against Jensen, working them both through the after waves of their orgasms. He let out a long breath as he pulled Jensen into his arms, caressing his cheek and kissing over his claiming bite until their breathing evened out. “Now, we’ll be tied to each other until my knot goes down enough where I can pull out from your body without hurting you. I don’t want you to try to pull away from me, it’ll only end up hurting you. Do you understand?”

Jensen nodded his head and reached out for Jared’s arm, the one bearing his claiming bite. Knowing he had caused Jared pain, he brought it to his lips and kissed over the claiming bite. “Understand . . . pain.” He knew pain all too well and he didn’t like the idea that he had caused Jared, his mate, pain.

Jared’s gut clenched at hearing this from Jensen. For so long, Jensen had only known pain and even though he had tried to be as gentle as he could be, he had caused Jensen pain when he had mated with him and claimed him. “I’m sorry I added to your pain. If I could have, I would have gladly taken the pain away from you.”

“Pain,” Jensen whispered and kissed over his claiming bite again, wanting to soothe Jared’s pain away. 

Jared chuckled softly and kissed Jensen’s cheek before entwining the fingers. “Why don’t we try to get some sleep?” Jared suggested as Jensen settled against him. He remained motionless, feeling Jensen’s body relaxed against him and he heard the soft puffs of breath coming from his mate, indicating that he had fallen asleep. As he lay there, watching over his sleeping mate, he realized that the life he had prior to mating with Jensen would never work, and he wasn’t sure he liked the idea of moving Jensen so soon after not only claiming him, but freeing him from the hell he had been found living in. He didn’t even have a home of his own. He couldn’t impose on Christian, not now that he had a mate. He couldn’t return home to live with his parents. Despite knowing they would welcome him back with open arms, he was an adult alpha with a mate, one who needed stability. He needed to provide a stable life for Jensen, who needed to know he was safe, cared for, and loved. There was really only one option for him, and as that realization settled over him, he found that he was strangely calm with his decision to remain in Ashland. 

Jared felt Jensen stir and heard him softly say, ‘Jared, my mate’, before he drifted back to sleep. Once his knot had deflated and he was able to untangle himself from Jensen, Jared pushed himself off the mattress, quietly grabbed his clothes, and made his way to the bathroom. Once he was washed and dressed, he went into the living room. He fished out his cell phone and held it in his hand, noticing that his hands were shaking. Funny, he thought to himself, he’d gone head-first into combat situations, raided pack lands, dealt with some of the toughest pack leaders and had taken them down and his hands had never shaken. But here he was with a cell phone in his hand and now he was shaking. Before he could second guess himself, he dialed the phone number that he knew by heart and waited for the line to be picked up.

On the fourth ring, the call was picked up. A gruff and tired voice answered. “JD.”

Jared took a deep breath before responding. “JD, it’s Jared.”

JD heard the worry in Jared’s voice and instantly snapped to attention. “What’s wrong?” he barked out.

“Nothing?” Jared responded.

“Are you asking me or telling me?” JD retorted with amusement. 

“Um.” Jared found it hard to speak. His mouth had suddenly gone dry and he couldn’t get his tongue to work.

“Seriously, Jared, what’s going on?”

Jared forced himself to speak. “I’m calling about the Ashland Pack . . .” He let his words trail off, trying to figure out what he wanted to actually say to JD. He knew his boss, mentor and friend probably wasn’t going to be happy with what he was about to tell him.

“I kinda figured, unless you were just calling to say hi to me.” JD’s gruff voice softened a bit. “Jared, I can hear it in your voice. Something’s up. What is it? Just spit it out, already.”

Jared appreciated JD’s attempt at lightheartedness, but he had to get this off his chest. “I want the pack. I want to petition the council to let me take over as their pack leader.” The words rushed out. He couldn’t stop them and when they were finally out, he felt lightheaded and had to sit down in order not to fall over.

“What?” JD’s voice was soft, almost unbelieving in his question. “Did I hear you right? You want to take on the pack as their alpha? You know what that means, right? You’d have to step down as the team leader. Hell, you’d have to leave the team altogether,” JD said, more to himself than to Jared as he tried to wrap his mind around the bomb Jared had just dropped in his lap.

“Yeah, I know.” Jared stared at the floor, trying to work up the courage to tell JD the reason why he wanted this. Why he wanted to leave his team, the one he had hand-picked, the one that had become his family.

“Why? You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are. Hell, you’re next in line for my job if and when I choose to move on.”

Looking down at his wrist Jared smiled. How could he not? He had been claimed by his own mate, and he knew he would never regret having Jensen’s claiming bite on his body, or claiming Jensen as his mate. “I’ve taken a mate. I can’t ask my mate to leave. At least not yet. My mate’s not ready.” Jared heard JD gasp from the other end of the line and the soft ‘shit’ spoken in shock from the man.

“Jesus, Jared. I never saw this one coming. So, what’s she like? Bet she’s some ass-kicking beta,” JD chuckled out.

“Not exactly,” Jared said as he closed his eyes. He knew he had to enlighten JD, not that his preference mattered to the older alpha - Jared knew it didn’t. There were plenty of same-sex pairings within the packs they oversaw. Hell, there were even some members on the council who were in committed same-sex matings. Jared knew JD treated everyone with the same respect as they treated him, and he didn’t care who a member bedded. It was just that Jared had always kept that aspect of his life private, it was no one’s business but his own, either his sexual preference or who he took into his bed. Christian was the only member of his team who even knew that he preferred a male mate. It had never come up in conversation as far as he could remember with JD or any other of his team members. 

“What, is she a pretty little omega?” JD’s voice had a saucy tone to it. Jared could just picture the smile on JD’s face and him raising his eyebrows up and down trying to get more information from him.

“Pretty omega, yes. Little, no. Also, she is a he.” He heard the sharp intake of breath and what sounded like JD falling off his chair, or at the very least knocking something off his desk in shock.

“What?” JD croaked out. “I mean, shit, Jared!” JD paused, trying to recover from his reaction. “No, I mean. Jesus, I’m really fucking this up, aren’t I?”

Jared threw his head back and laughed, his shoulders shaking from his movements as he tried to recover from JD’s words. “Yeah, you kinda are!” Jared wheezed out between his laughter. “Christ and I thought I was nervous telling you this.” He finally managed to get out as he leaned back in the chair.

“Well, congratulations, son. Are you happy?”

“I am and still a little shocked by it. You’re the only one who knows I’ve mated with someone. I’m sure Misha and Christian suspect that something’s going on, but neither would ever come out and ask me. They’re not like that. The rest of the team has no idea about that, and no one knows about my petition for being the alpha of this pack,” Jared said quietly. 

“Who is it? This omega who managed to tame you?” 

“Jensen,” he breathed out and braced himself for JD’s reaction.

“Are you fucking out of your mind!” JD screamed into the phone. “Have you totally lost it? He’s an abused omega, nearly feral from the initial report you sent me. What the fuck were you thinking?” JD’s tirade continued. “Or, were you even thinking? Let me guess, little Jared did the thinking for you. Fuck!”

“Are you done? You judgemental prick!” Jared screamed into the phone. 

“Whoa there, son. You better watch your tone with me,” JD barked out at him. “I give you a lot of leeway, but you will not speak to me like that. I’m your superior.”

“You think I would just mate an abused omega? You think I’d just take what I wanted from him, no matter the state he was in?” Jared huffed out. He knew he was on edge and trying to tread carefully. He would need JD’s help in getting the council to approve his petition for pack alpha status. “He’s my mate. There would never be a scenario where I would have forced him into this. I wanted to mate him, but he had to want it as well. He went into heat only because his mate -  _ me _ \- was with him.”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” JD responded tiredly. “Look, I overreacted. I know you would never do that,” JD confirmed, trying to smooth over what had just transpired between the two of them. He coughed, trying to give himself some time to focus on what he wanted to say. He knew he’d already screwed up, accusing Jared of forcing a mating with anyone, let alone a nearly feral omega. He knew the type of alpha Jared was. He was a protector by nature. He would never raise a hand in abuse to anyone, let alone an omega. “Okay, so obviously you’d like my help with this,” JD stated. 

“Yeah, I mean, is there any way to fast track this?” Jared questioned. “The team is nearly done here. I want to get the pack settled. They’re leery of anyone coming in and taking over. They trust me, or at least I think they do. Several members have spoken to me privately, asking me to consider becoming their pack alpha. Plus, I want Jensen to know that I’m not just going to up and leave him or force him to leave. He’s just starting to come out of his shell. He’s even talking. It’s not a lot, but it’s progress.” Jared grinned at the thought of Jensen and the words he had uttered to Jared that morning before he had left him,  _ Jared, my mate _ . 

“I’ll see what I can do to help you out. Christ, Jared, you really know how to shock a guy, that’s for shit sure.”

“Yeah, well I’ve just been full of surprises since stepping foot in Ashland. Anything you can do would be appreciated.”

“I’ll call you when I have news. Take care of yourself and make sure you continue to keep me in the loop,” JD cautioned before ending their call.

Jared breathed out a shaky sigh as he looked at his phone. “Well, there’s no going back now,” he said to himself as he turned and made his way back to Jensen.


	14. Chapter 14

Matt stepped into the room quietly, not wanting to upset the delicate balance that Jared had created between himself and Jensen; the last time he had entered the cabin, Jensen hadn’t reacted well to his presence, but he needed to speak to Jared and he wanted a chance to actually meet Jensen. As he took in the sight before him, his eyes widened in surprise. On the floor were the two mattresses, but Jensen’s was no longer in the cage. It had been moved to rest next to Jared’s. Jared was sitting with his back against the wall, legs out straight in front of himself and Jensen was lying next to him, his body curled up against Jared’s, and soft music was playing from Jared’s phone. Matt couldn’t tell if the other omega was asleep or just lying quietly listening to the music. The thing that truly shocked him was seeing what Jared was doing. He was stroking Jensen’s head, petting him and running his fingers through his cropped hair. “Jared?” Matt asked tentatively, hoping he didn’t anger Jared by just walking in or startle Jensen unnecessarily. Slowly, Jared turned his head to face Matt. He wore a happy, almost contented smile on his face. It was something that Matt had never seen on the alpha’s face before; the alpha looked as if he was at peace, and he fought not to comment on it. 

“Yeah, Matt, what is it?” Jared asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper as he returned his gaze to the omega next to him.

Matt watched as Jared’s fingers stopped moving, his hand coming to rest protectively on Jensen. That pieced it together in Matt’s mind, Jared was trying to remain quiet as not to wake the sleeping omega. The alpha was protecting the omega like he was more than just an abused pack member needing to feel safe. Jared was protecting Jensen as if he were his mate, like Jensen was his omega. 

“I’ve been able to secure funding to help the abused pack members. Most of them can return to the families Pellegrino took them from, if they want to. The only one who doesn’t have any family is him,” Matt said as he waved a hand indicating he was speaking about Jensen. “From what I’ve gathered through the reports, when he was taken, his parents were killed, and he witnessed their murders just as you said. I couldn’t find any other living relative. He has no one we can send him to. I can arrange for him to be transported to a medical facility, but that will only help him in the short-term. Long-term, he’ll need some place to stay where he’s cared for and protected. It has to be somewhere or with someone who will make him feel safe,” Matt stopped himself from speaking as he noticed Jared’s body language. Jared was beginning to tense up as he spoke. But he needed to say what he had come in to say. “Do you want me to make the call?”

Jared’s head snapped up and his eyes flashed red with anger. “No!” His voice rang out louder than he had intended for it to be. Jensen stirred next to him and he rubbed Jensen’s back, making a shushing sound to soothe him back to sleep. “No, Matt. That won’t be necessary. He has someone who will care for him.” Jared smiled again, letting the tension run from his body as he looked at his mate. “I haven’t told the team yet, but I’m staying. I called JD this morning. I’ve petitioned the council to allow me to take over as pack leader.” Jared took in a deep breath before continuing. “I can’t leave Jensen and I can’t ask him to leave here, either. He’s not ready and I won’t cause him any more trauma. He’s been through enough as it is.”

“Jared, what are you saying?” Matt questioned, cocking his head to the side as he waited for Jared to speak. 

“He’s my mate,” Jared whispered the words, more to himself than to Matt. “Jensen and I are mated.”

“What? Did I hear you right?” Matt asked in disbelief, not because he hadn’t heard the words, he just never thought that Jared would ever take a mate. Jared loved his job and believed in what they were doing, as he did, making sure that packs were healthy and that members weren’t being abused.

“You heard right,” Jared shot back at him, not bothering to hide his annoyance. 

“Do you know what you’re getting yourself into? Jared, he’s . . . he’s nearly feral. How did this happen?” Matt questioned, not hiding his suspicion. 

“He went into heat. You know how the male omega biology works, how his biology works,” Jared said as he waved a hand in Matt’s direction. “He reacted to me. I felt the pull the moment I laid eyes on him. I just didn’t believe it, didn’t want to believe it. But it happened.”

“So you what? Took advantage of him?” Matt’s voice rose in volume as he spoke. “You are unbelievable! How could you do this,  _ alpha _ ?” He spat out the last word like it was poison on his tongue.

“Matt, it wasn’t like that,” Jared said trying to keep his voice low so he wouldn’t startle Jensen awake. 

“So, what was it like?” Matt spat out the words as he looked down at Jared, disgust clearly showing on his face. 

Gently Jared pulled himself from Jensen and stood to his full height. “Matt, it’s hard to put this into words,” Jared said with a pained expression on his face. He was as stunned as anyone could be at what had happened. That he had mated with Jensen. He took a few steps toward Matt, stopping a foot away from him so they could speak quietly. 

Matt put his hands up in revulsion, trying to push Jared away from him. “Yeah, I’m sure it was so hard . . .”

Neither had realized that Jensen had awoken or had gotten to his feet. Jensen watched the exchange between Jared and the other omega. He watched as the other omega placed his hands on his mate and instantly felt the need to get him away from  _ his _ mate. With lightning speed Jensen moved toward Matt; he reached out with both hands and forcibly pushed Matt against the wall and away from Jared. His green eyes flashed with anger, and his lips were pulled back over his teeth as he growled at the other omega, low and angry. It was a predatory growl from one mated omega to an unmated omega who had just touched an alpha that wasn’t his.

“My mate!” Jensen screamed at Matt. “Not you, mine!” He grabbed Matt’s head and tried to slam Matt’s head into the wall. He was determined to make the other omega understand that Jared had mated with him, and he would do that the only way he knew how, by fighting for what he saw as his. “Mine!” he yelled again as Matt fought to get away. He hissed at the omega in his grasp when he heard him calling out to Jared. 

“Ja . . . Jared,” Matt croaked in shock as he tried to bring his hands up to his head to protect himself. “Help!”

“Jensen!” Jared scrambled to get Jensen off of Matt, fearing that he might actually cause the other omega bodily injury. He wrapped his arms around Jensen’s body and pulled him off of Matt. He felt the growl that was threatening to erupt from deep within Jensen’s chest and he cut it off with his own growl, letting Jensen know that he was to be listened to. He felt Jensen go limp in his arms and he gently lowered him to his knees. Letting go of Jensen for a moment, he moved to kneel in front of him and realized that he was crying. He placed two fingers under Jensen’s chin and raised his face to meet his. “Jensen,” he said softly, fearing he had caused these tears by raising his voice to Jensen.

Jensen reached out and placed a hand over Jared’s heart as he did the same to his own. Through his tears, Jensen looked up at Jared. “Jared?” he questioned in a strangled voice. “Not my mate?” he croaked out, feeling his chest tighten with the thought that maybe Jared hadn’t really wanted him. Jared had let this other omega touch him, after all. He felt Jared’s hands on his face, and his fingers wiping away his tears.

“Jensen, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m your mate,” Jared said as he pulled Jensen to his chest in a bone-crushing hug, trying to reassure him that he truly was his mate. “This is Matt. He’s a member of my team. He’s a friend of mine, nothing more. There’s nothing to worry about.” Jared felt Jensen nuzzle against his neck and hummed in satisfaction at having him in his arms.

“I’m sorry Jared. I just thought . . .” Matt started to say, only to be cut off by Jared.

“We’ll talk about this later. Right now, I need to get him calm. Can you close the door after yourself and let the team know I’m not to be disturbed?” Jared asked as he kissed the side of Jensen’s face. “Oh and Matt, not a word about this. JD is the only other person who knows, until now. Misha and Christian most likely suspect since they were here when Jensen went into heat. I need to figure a few things out and then I’ll tell the team when we all meet.” Jared turned his attention back to Jensen, letting Matt know that the conversation was over.

Matt backed out of the room, closing the door and leaving the mated pair alone. He leaned heavily against the closed door and groaned. He had really fucked that up. He had essentially accused his team leader and friend of forcing himself on an abused omega. How was he ever going to make that right between himself and Jared? Pushing himself away from the door, he left the cabin and walked back to the medical cabin where he still had paperwork to complete. Maybe he could find a way to apologize to Jared and Jensen. At least he hoped he could. 


	15. Chapter 15

Jared looked down at Jensen who was lounging on their mattress and saw the smile on his face. His heart beat faster at seeing the easy way that Jensen smiled at him, like he was Jensen’s entire world. It set his blood on fire and he had to force himself not to lock the door and take his mate again as he had the night before. He crouched down next to Jensen and took his hands in his before leaning in for a kiss. He pressed his lips to Jensen’s and felt his response as what was supposed to have been a chaste kiss deepened. He heard Jensen moan as he parted his lips, giving Jared access to his mouth. Jared pushed his tongue in, mapping Jensen’s mouth and tasting him on his tongue. He felt Jensen suck on his tongue, drawing it further into his mouth. He heard the needy mewling sound that came from Jensen’s throat and forced himself to pull back. If he didn’t, he would never accomplish the task that was set before him. He wanted to lose himself with Jensen, in Jensen. He never knew it could be so good, taking a mate and finally feeling like he was complete. 

“Jensen, God, I love you, but I have to leave.” He saw Jensen’s eyes begin to tear up.  _ I have to leave _ , those were the words that Jensen had focused on. “I have to make a phone call. I’ll be back,” Jared said as he let go of Jensen’s hands and cupped his face, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears that had spilled from his eyes. “I’m not leaving you, my mate.” He knew those words would soothe Jensen. “I wouldn’t leave you, ever. I just need to see to some pack business and make a call to my superior.” 

Jensen cocked his head as he listened to Jared and his words. He knew what Jared was saying. He understood the words, it was just that he’d been so lost in his own mind for so long that at times he had a hard time figuring out what Jared, Misha, and Felicia meant. Like the word superior. His eyes narrowed as he tried to say the word over in his mind, trying to recall what this actually meant to Jared. He mouthed the word, his lips moving over it. He couldn’t remember what the word meant. Was it supposed to mean something to him?

Jared watched as Jensen listened to him speak. He saw him tilting his head, listening to the words he was speaking. He watched as Jensen’s lips moved as he mouthed words soundlessly. “Superior. JD, he’s my boss. He’s the one who sent me here.” He watched as Jensen was able to figure out what this all meant.

Jensen repeated the word softly. “Boss.” He shook his head in understanding. “Call boss.” He smiled at Jared, happy that he finally understood what the word superior meant.

“Yes,” Jared responded with a soft smile on his lips. He shifted his body, kneeling in front of Jensen to kiss him again. “You’re doing well, you know that? I know you’re trying, just don’t push yourself too hard. There’s no rush for you to get everything right or to understand everything I say to you. If you’re not sure about something, ask me. We’ll talk about it, I’ll help you.” He gave Jensen a soft smile, “Jensen my mate, I love you.”

Jensen nodded his head. He understood what Jared said, those words had meaning to him. “Jared, my mate,” he murmured as Jared kissed him, and then Jared pulled away from him. He watched as Jared left the room, leaving the door open so he wouldn’t feel cut off from the rest of the world. It was a small token of affection on Jared’s part to do this for him. When he heard the front door to the cabin close, he got up from their mattress and walked to the door. He had been this far out of the room before, with Jared or Misha by his side as he ventured to the bathroom. 

Jensen smiled when he remembered the first time they had gotten him to willingly leave the room. He had been panicked. He had needed to relieve himself, but they hadn’t brought him his bucket. He had whined at Jared, trying to make the alpha understand his need. 

_ “Jensen, I don’t know what you want,” Jared said in a soft voice as Jensen whined at him. He shook his head, trying his best to not raise his voice in frustration as Jensen whined again. “What? Do you need something?” he asked, throwing his hands out in front of himself, with his palms up and his fingers splayed wide. When Jensen whined at him again, he grabbed his radio and called for Misha. Jensen cocked his head to the side as he watched Jared.  _

_ “Yeah, Jared?” Misha’s voice called out over the radio in Jared’s hands. _

_ “I need you in the cabin. Something’s wrong with Jensen.” _

_ “Be right there.” _

_ Jensen sank to his knees and looked up at Jared, wide eyes pleading with him. He let out another low, needy whine when all Jared did was look at him. He couldn’t understand why Jared was denying him his bucket. What had he done wrong? A few minutes later, he heard Misha’s voice calling from outside of the room. _

_ “Okay, I’m here,” Misha called out before entering the room so he wouldn’t startle Jensen. He stopped in the doorway, his medical bag in his hand, as he heard Jensen whining. He looked at Jared, perplexed and then at Jensen. “How long has he been whining?” _

_ “A few minutes. I don’t know what he wants, or if he’s in pain,” Jared explained in a worried voice.  _

_ Setting down his bag, Misha crouched down, unzipped it, and pulled out a pair of black latex gloves. He stood up and took a few steps toward Jensen, holding out the gloves for him to see. “Jensen, remember my gloves? I’m going to put them on my hands.” The first time he had done that, he hadn’t explained anything to Jensen and it had caused him to panic at seeing how his hands had changed in color. He watched as Jensen nodded in understanding as he pulled first one glove on and then the other over his hands. Raising his hands in front of himself, he turned his palms toward Jensen and then turned them from side to side. “See, still my hands. I need to take a look at you. Is it alright if I come over there?” He waited for Jensen’s reaction before he made a move. He watched as Jensen shifted his eyes off of him and onto Jared, clearly looking to Jared for approval and protection.  _

_ Seeing what Jensen was doing, Jared gave him a smile. “It’s alright. Misha’s not going to hurt you, and I’m right here.” He watched as Jensen nodded his head, never taking his eyes off of him. “Go ahead, Misha.” _

_ Misha walked over to the cage and then stopped. He wouldn’t be able to properly examine Jensen if he stayed inside. “Jensen, I need you to come out so I can see what’s wrong. Can you do that?” He watched as Jensen slowly raised to his feet and took a few steps toward him. Jensen was slightly hunched over, and it looked like he was in pain, or at least in some type of discomfort; he just didn’t know what was causing it. “Thank you, Jensen. I’m going to touch you. I’m going to start by putting my hand on your arm.” When Jensen didn’t move away or try to stop him, he placed his hand on his arm. “Nothing to worry about. I just need to figure out what’s causing you to whine.” He placed his free hand on Jensen’s chest, waiting for his reaction. When Jensen didn’t flinch or try to stop him, he continued, moving his hand down to his stomach. When he gently pressed against his stomach, Jensen gave another low whine. He rubbed his hand along Jensen’s stomach again and then looked over at Jared. “Jared, when was the last time he went to the bathroom?” _

_ “I don’t know. Why?” Jared asked. _

_ “His bladder feels full.” Misha looked back at Jensen. “Do you need to go to the bathroom?” His question was met with another low whine. _

_ “Jensen do you need to use the bathroom?” Jared asked, hoping Jensen would answer him.  _

_ Jensen looked at Jared and whined again. They kept mentioning going to the bathroom. He had looked at them, eyes wide as the words were said repeatedly to him like he would understand, like saying them over and over again would make something click in his brain and he would just automatically get what they wanted from him. He had heard the word before, it was familiar, but he just couldn’t make sense of everything. All he could do was whine, hoping they understood him before it was too late.  _

_ “This is pointless,” Misha mumbled. “Let’s just get him to the bathroom.” _

_ “Yeah, okay.” Jared reached out and took Jensen by the arm, giving him a reassuring smile as he started to walk him toward the door. He just hoped that Jensen would go willingly. He didn’t want to have Jensen fight him about leaving the room. He certainly didn’t want to force him, but if he had to, he’d carry Jensen to the bathroom.  _

_ Slowly, Jensen followed Jared. He was wary of getting closer to the door, but he didn’t fight. Jared hadn’t hurt him and he needed to use his bucket. He just hoped it was right outside. As he allowed Jared to lead him into the hallway he looked around. He saw a bucket, and figured they had just moved it out of the room. He darted away from them and over to the bucket and simply dropped his pants, ready to squat to use the bucket. That’s what the other alphas had expected of him. He heard the two of them yelling for him to stop. He had flinched at their loud voices, and scrambled away, pressing himself up against the wall as he waited for the first blow to land on his body. He could still remember the sound of shock in their voices. _

_ “Jensen!” Jared’s voice called to him, shock and something else that Jensen couldn’t quite make out. It wasn’t anger; he was familiar with that. He had heard it many times in the other alphas’ voices. He had felt it every day since he had been brought to this cabin. He wasn’t sure but was it horror? “Jensen, stop!” _

_ “Oh, for fuck sake!” Misha’s voice sounded out. _

_ Jared had placed a hand softly on his forearm, feeling him flinch at his touch, but he didn’t remove his hand. He had wanted Jensen to understand that not every touch meant pain and that yes, he had yelled, but he wasn’t angry with him. He was horrified that Jensen had most likely been forced to use a bucket instead of a bathroom. “No, Jensen. The bathroom is for this. Not a bucket,” Jared had murmured to him, his voice low and even. “What the fuck did they do to these omegas? What did those sons of bitches do to him?” Jared had asked as he threw a glance over his shoulder to Misha.  _

_ “Those sick bastards. They reduced him to an animal.” Misha’s voice sounded pinched, like he was upset. Jensen had a hard time understanding why. Jensen was just going to use the bucket like he had been expected to do so many times before. Maybe they were upset because it was their bucket he had tried to use?  _

_ He felt Jared’s hands skim down his sides and pull up his pants. He looked up at Jared, not understanding. Was he being punished? Were they just showing him the bucket, but were going to take it away from him like the other alphas had done? Would he be forced to earn the bucket? The first couple of times the alphas had come in to “gift” him with the bucket they had forced him to his knees.  _

_ “You need to earn this privilege,” Pellegrino had said as he leered down at him. “Open your mouth. You suck me off, then you get the bucket to piss in.” Pellegrino began to unzip his pants. He had been forced into taking the alpha’s cock, and since it had been his first time, he had gagged on it. When he realized what the alpha had demanded from him, the next time anyone had tried to force him, he had tried to bite at them. He had been beaten for his refusal to do as they demanded. They had pried his mouth open, had forced themselves into his mouth, choking him until he nearly passed out. When they thought they had made their point, when he hadn’t fought back and just opened his mouth, they had learned quickly not to put their cocks anywhere near his mouth when he had bitten down on an alpha’s cock.  _

Jensen shook his head, trying to push away that memory. That was the past. That was the hell he had endured until Jared had entered his life. Jared had shown him that not all alphas were abusive. Some were caring, loving, and protective. He had an alpha that he loved, one who loved him, cared for him, and protected him.


	16. Chapter 16

While the team finished their work with getting the pack situated, Jared met with the pack members. He needed to make sure they were serious about accepting him as their pack alpha. There would be no point in continuing with his petition if they truly didn’t want him. To his relief, he had been assured by the members that they still wanted him to become their pack alpha. Thankfully, things had been kept quiet, and it seemed that his team hadn’t caught wind of what his potential plans were. 

Two days later Jared received the news he had been hoping for. The ringing of his phone stopped him from reading to Jensen as they lay together on the mattress. With an aggravated sigh, he untangled himself from Jensen, rolled over, and grabbed his phone, picking up the call as quickly as he could. He hated that his time with his mate had to be interrupted, but seeing that it was JD, he answered, “JD, what is it? Is there news?”

“Well, good evening to you, too, Jared,” JD’s gruff voice called out over the line.

“Sorry. I wasn’t expecting a call this late. So, if you’re calling now, it’s gotta be bad news.” Jared looked over at Jensen to see his mate regarding him with wide green eyes. He knew Jensen was listening to everything being said.

“JD . . . boss,” Jensen said and smiled at Jared, happy that he at least knew who Jared was speaking to and had been able to remember who the person was to Jared.

The sound of JD’s voice pulled Jared from his focus on Jensen. “Sorry, say that again.”

“I said, the council’s made their decision and they’ve approved your petition. So, if you still want to move forward with this, then you’re now the pack alpha of Ashland.” JD let out a tired sigh. “Are you sure about this? Don’t get me wrong, I think you’ll be great as their pack alpha. You’ll do right by them, but is this really what you want?”

Jared closed his eyes as he thought about JD’s question. Did he want to be alpha? Did he want to leave everything he had created for himself in favor of staying in Ashland? Opening his eyes, his gaze rested on Jensen and he knew what his answer was. Without a doubt, this was what he wanted. “Yes, JD, it is. I’m finally happy. I might not know how things will go, but I’m happy. Before, my life only consisted of the job. I never put down roots, I never wanted to until mating with Jensen.”

“So, I can’t talk you out of this, even if I told you you’d be next in line for my job when I retire?”

“You can try, but my answer isn’t gonna change,” Jared assured his soon-to-be former boss.

“Well, kid, it sounds like no matter what I say, your mind's made up,” JD replied. “I wish you the best. I’m going to miss you. I’m only a phone call away if you ever need anything. I wish you nothing but happiness in this next phase of your life and with your mate.”

“Thanks, JD, that means a lot. If you do ever retire, just know that you’d be welcomed here,” Jared stated before ending the call. He placed his phone down and turned to Jensen, pulling him into his arms. “So, I petitioned to be the alpha of this pack, and I was approved. We can stay here, if you want, or we can leave. I know I should have spoken to you about this, included you in my decision, but I didn’t want to put any pressure on you. What would you like to do, Jensen? Do you want to stay here with me as this pack’s alpha, or do you want to move away? I know this place doesn’t have the best memories for you.”

Jensen turned in Jared’s arms so he was able to look into Jared’s eyes. “Stay here. Make happy memories.” He placed a hand on Jared's chest, resting it over his heart. “Good alpha, make good pack alpha. We stay,” Jensen confirmed and ended his words with a kiss. 

Jared heaved a sigh of relief, happy that Jensen wanted to stay, despite the horrors he had endured in Ashland. “Well, then I guess it’s settled, we’ll stay, and I’ll do my best to honor this pack by putting their needs first. I give you my word that I will do everything I can to make you happy. No matter what, just know that you will always be first in my mind. I love you, my precious mate.” He heard Jensen hum in contentment as he settled into his arms. 

“Love you, my mate,” Jensen said in a sleepy voice before drifting off to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

Jared knew he had to explain things to his team. He had done his best to avoid them until he had things sorted out. Now that he had, he needed to be the one to tell them of the decisions he had made; to tell them about the changes and how they would affect them. “Jensen, I’ll be back in a little while. I have to speak with my team, explain things to them, how I’m staying here with you in Ashland, how I’ve decided to be this pack's alpha.” He watched as Jensen smiled at him. “Don’t be scared if you hear raised voices. They might not like what I have to tell them. They might be upset, just know that I’m not leaving you. Do you understand?” He searched Jensen’s face, trying to determine if Jensen had understood everything he had just told him.

With a nod of his head, Jensen answered, “Yes, mate, understand. Loud voices. Not scared.” He offered Jared a hesitant smile, trying to assure them both that he understood and would do his best not to be scared. 

“Everything will be fine,” Jared said as he leaned in and kissed Jensen. “I’ll be back,” he reassured Jensen as he pushed off the mattress to stand to his full height. He gave Jensen another smile before walking out of the bedroom to join those waiting for him in the living room. He glanced over his shoulder, making sure Jensen was still safely inside before going to greet his team. As he walked toward the living room, he could feel his own apprehension rising and he knew he needed to tamp that down. He didn’t want Jensen sensing or reacting to what he was feeling; it would only add to the uncertainty he knew Jensen was dealing with. He took several deep breaths, and rubbed his hands on his thighs before joining the group. “Thanks for coming. There have been some developments, some changes I have to fill you in on before things wrap up here in Ashland.” 

Christian grumbled, shifting in his seat, only to stand up to face Jared. “Out with it. What aren’t you telling us?” He watched as Jared raised his hand to his head and quickly grabbed it, noticing the claiming mark on Jared’s wrist. He drew in a sharp breath as he looked onto Jared’s eyes. “Is that . . .” He watched as the color drained from Jared’s face. He had known that Jensen had gone into heat, he just never thought Jared would mate with the abused omega. “Are you? Did you? Are you out of your fucking mind?” Christian turned to look at Misha, the only other one who knew what had been happening that day. “Did you know?” Not waiting for Misha to answer him, Christian turned back to meet Jared’s eyes. “Christ, Jared . . .”

Dropping his hand against his hip Jared met Misha’s eyes. Misha had been the one to encourage him to mate with Jensen. He hadn’t really said anything to him about the fact that he had claimed Jensen as his omega. He had almost hoped to let that slip by, slowly getting his team off pack lands so JD could break the news that he was actually seeking the right to take over as the pack’s alpha. But he couldn’t do that to them. He owed it to his team to be the one to tell them everything. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard several angry voices speaking to him. “Let me explain, please,” he nearly begged, hoping everyone would quiet down. 

Crossing his arms over his chest, Christian looked at Jared, “Fine, explain.” He shot an angry look in Misha’s direction before reclaiming his seat. 

“Yes, this is a claiming bite. Yes, I’m mated. I’m also staying in Ashland. I petitioned the council to become pack alpha and they approved it. I’m officially taking over as the Ashland alpha. At first, I was just going to stay behind and leave it to JD to explain things, but I knew I couldn’t take the coward’s way out.”

“But I thought you loved your job,” Felicia commented in a hurt voice as she studied Jared. 

“I do, I did, but it’s not where I’m meant to be now. I’m meant to be here, to be this pack’s alpha,” Jared admitted as he met Felicia’s eyes. 

“And your mate? Who . . .” Aldis started to question, but stopped when Misha simply said, “Jensen.”

“What the fuck?” Chad uttered at hearing the news.

“Wait, did I hear you correctly?” Rich asked as his head snapped up.

“Jensen went into heat. He needed to mate with his alpha. Despite everything he’s been put through, his body recognized that his mate was near him,” Misha explained.

“But he’s an abused omega. We don’t . . . He couldn’t defend himself . . .” Chad responded as he looked from Misha to Jared.

“Believe me, Jensen is perfectly capable of defending himself. After they mated, Jensen thought I was trying to come between them . . .” Matt managed to get out before Christian cut him off. 

“You knew and you didn’t say anything?” Christian asked, barely able to contain his growing anger at feeling as if he had been betrayed.

“I asked Matt to keep quiet. I needed time to sort things out. I needed to figure out what was best for Jensen,” Jared explained.

“And, you made this decision without speaking to anyone,” Christian grumbled.

“We need to take ourselves out of this equation. It’s not about us. We might be hurt . . .” Misha started to say before Jared interrupted him.

“Misha’s right. It’s not about any of you, and I never meant to hurt any of you, or hide this. This just happened. I was confused and needed time to think of what was best for myself and Jensen. I love him. He’s my mate. I claimed him as my omega, only after he consented. I would never have forced this on him, no matter how much I wanted him. No matter the pull I felt. I hope in time you’ll understand that and forgive me,” Jared said as he searched the faces of those he cared about. He closed his eyes and let himself sag against the wall as the thought that he might lose his friends over the recent developments hit him. He was forced from his musings when he heard several voices speaking and then a high-pitched whine. His eyes snapped open and he looked up to see Jensen standing in the hallway, pressed up against the wall. Jensen had clearly been drawn out by the sound of the voices and the fact that his mate wasn’t with him. He held up his hand, quieting his team as he focused on Jensen. “Jensen,” he said softly as he pushed himself away from the wall and walked with his arms outstretched toward Jensen. As soon as he had him wrapped in his arms, he felt Jensen melt against him and he kissed the side of his head. 

“Mate . . . upset,” Jensen said as he looked up into Jared’s eyes. “Others upset mate.” He raised himself up so he was able to kiss Jared. “Kisses help?”

Jared chuckled softly, “Yes, kisses from you always help,” he assured Jensen before returning the kiss, kissing Jensen softly on the lips and then his nose, ending with a kiss on his forehead before pulling away long enough to encircle Jensen in his arms. “I know you’ve met some of my team, my friends, but I’d like you to meet the rest of them. Some of them are alphas.” He stopped speaking, feeling Jensen begin to tremble in his arms. “There’s nothing to fear. No one here will hurt you. I will never let anyone hurt you ever again, not as your alpha, and not as your mate, I promise you. I will always protect you.”

Laying a hand on Jared’s chest, Jensen looked up at him, “Jared protect.”

“Yes, I’ll always protect you,” Jared assured Jensen as he walked him further into the room. He took his eyes off of Jensen to look at his apparently shocked friends, forgetting that the only one to have heard Jensen speak was Matt.

“He can . . . he can speak?” Christian asked in surprise.

“Well, it seems your mate is full of surprises,” Misha announced with a soft laugh.

“Yes, Jensen is, and he’s amazing,” Jared replied as he stared into Jensen’s green eyes. He kissed Jensen again before focusing on his friends. “So, I hope you can understand why I’m doing what I’m doing, why I’ve chosen to stay and become the pack alpha. I’m not comfortable making Jensen move. He needs stability. He’s just coming out of his shell and I won’t put the stress of moving on him.” He led Jensen over to a chair, helped him sit before he positioned himself on the arm of the chair, and pulled him against his body. He leaned in, kissed Jensen’s cheek and offered him words of encouragement before straightening up to meet the uncertain looks on his friend’s faces. “For those of you who haven’t officially met my mate, this is Jensen.” He let the soft hellos end before he introduced those in the room to Jensen. 

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Christian questioned and watched as Jared narrowed his hazel eyes at him, his hazel eyes briefly flashing red before he calmed himself. “I mean staying on and becoming pack alpha. Is that what you really want? You and Jensen are welcome to stay with me for as long as you want. Hell, it’s about time you took a mate, and clearly, from the moment you two met, there was something between you.”

“Yes, it is. It’s something I need to do not only for the pack, but for myself and Jensen.”

“Well, then I’m happy for you, and you have my full support,” Christian promised his friend.

Misha spoke up, “Well, it seems that the pack is in need of a doctor, one they can trust. And, well, I’m tired of always having to be at the ready. So, if you’ll have me, I’ll stay on as well.”

Before Jared could respond, Matt began to speak. “You’re going to need a good social worker to continue helping the pack. Plus, I kind of like it here.”

Shaking his head, Christian gave a bark of laughter. “Face it, you’re not getting rid of me either. You’re going to need a second, and I’m offering my services. Besides, I’m getting too old for this shit, and I’m definitely too old to train another team leader.”

“I can see my mate and myself settling down and raising a pup here,” Aldis chimed in.

Felicia clasped her hands together and offered Jared a wide smile. “You’re going to need a girl who knows a thing or two about tech.”

“Jared, where you go, I go, you know that,” Chad interjected.

“Seems we’re all in favor of staying and having you as our pack alpha, if you want us, that is,” Rich added.

Jared sucked in a shocked breath; he hadn’t expected any of this to happen. “You’re all . . . I can’t ask you to stay.”

“I didn’t hear you ask. Did you hear him ask?” Matt questioned as he looked around the room. 

“Seems like it’s settled. Jared, you’ve been this pack’s alpha for years, it’s just now we’re making it official. JD is gonna be pissed, but he’ll just have to deal with it,” Christian said with a chuckle, only to stop when he heard a soft whine coming from Jensen.

Instinctively Jared looked at Jensen, and smiled when he realized that Jensen was having trouble following what had transpired. He reached up, displaying the mating bite, to caress Jensen's cheek.

“Mate? Jared?” Jensen said tentatively. “Stay?”

“Yes, not only am I staying here with you, it seems my friends want to stay as well,” Jared explained and then pressed a kiss to Jensen’s cheek. 

“Friends, stay,” Jensen repeated and then pressed himself closer to Jared’s body feeling the need for his protection and reassurance.

Sensing that Jensen was becoming agitated and had reached the end of his ability to be around others, Jared decided it was time to show his friends to the door. “This has been the longest that Jensen has been in the company of so many. I think it’s time to call it a night. I want my mate to get some rest,” he explained as he led Jensen back to the bedroom. He gave Jensen assurances that he would return to him once everyone had left and he had locked up for the night. He returned to the living room to find his friends straightening up before getting ready to leave. He bid them goodbye, locked the door behind them, and made his way back to Jensen, happy to hold his mate until they fell asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**One Year Later:**

In the end, after getting the pack healthy again, Jared - with the help of Misha, Matt, and Felicia - had been able to reunite the omegas with their stolen children. Some had chosen to let them be raised by the Weres who had adopted them, who hadn’t known at the time that the pups they had taken in as their own had been stolen. The omegas hadn’t wanted to rip apart families who had no knowledge of what Pellegrino had been doing. The omegas were happy to know their pups were loved and well looked after, and that they could still have a place in their lives, to watch them grow, and know their pups could always turn to them if they needed to. 

Pellegrino, Roche and the other alphas had been delivered into the hands of the council to stand trial for their crimes. With the accounts Jared and his team had gathered along with those willing to testify against them, the council had handed down a verdict of guilty for all involved in the crimes perpetrated against the abused omegas and the Ashland pack. The alphas had been stripped of their rights, collared, and remanded to jail where they would live out the rest of their lives. To Jared, if he had his way, he would have ended their lives, but knowing that they would spend the rest of their days in a cell, no larger than the cage Jensen had been forced to endure, put a smile on his face. He had never thought of himself as vindictive, but apparently, he had that streak in him when it came to those who had wronged Jensen.

As the Ashland pack alpha, Jared oversaw the daily pack business; he kept abreast of their daily lives, making sure no one was abused, that each member had everything they needed, and they were healthy and happy. He was determined to never allow another pack member under his care to ever be abused again. He had been shocked at first at how willing the pack had been to accept him as their alpha. But as time wore on, the members had confided to him that as soon as they had witnessed him taking Roche down, they had known Jared was the one they wanted as their pack alpha. Their confidence in him had only been solidified when they had seen how loving and protective he was toward his own omega mate, Jensen, putting Jensen before his own needs. 

Jensen was the love of his life. While he had loved his job, working for the council, he loved Jensen on an entirely different level. He was finally complete. He had his mate, his other half, and he was happier and more content than he thought possible at leaving behind his job to settle in Ashland with Jensen. Just the thought of his mate brought a smile to his lips. And God help anyone who dared to touch Jensen or upset him in any way. One or two alphas had found out the hard way when they had dared to touch Jensen without Jared’s consent. The alphas had come away bruised and bloody, finding themselves cowering as a furious, red-eyed and snarling Jared stared them down, fighting back the desire to tear them apart. The only thing to calm him when he was like that was a comforting touch from Jensen. Once Jared knew Jensen was unharmed and that he had protected Jensen, he would return to his usual good-natured self. 

Jared proudly wore the claiming mark Jensen had given him upon their first mating. It wasn’t typically done, as usually only the alpha laid a claiming bite to their mate, but Jensen had felt the need to claim his alpha, just as Jared had needed to claim his omega. He would never regret the mark, nor would he ever cover it up. He saw the initial looks of astonishment and all he could do was smirk. Let them gawk, let them wonder. It didn’t matter to him. He and Jensen were happily mated, and that was all that mattered 

He heard soft shuffling from behind and he turned to find Jensen standing in the doorway to their kitchen, hair sleep tousled, green eyes regarding him with so much love, it was breathtaking. Reaching out, he motioned for Jensen to join him. As soon as Jensen was in his arms he breathed in deeply, taking in the sweet scent of his mate and he hummed in satisfaction. Jensen. His mate. “Morning,” he greeted before planting a kiss on his lips. 

“Morning, my mate,” Jensen responded before encircling his arms around Jared’s neck, raising himself up and seeking out another kiss from him. “More,” he murmured against Jared’s lips, not wanting to break their contact. 

With a smile, Jared chuckled. How could he ever refuse Jensen anything, let alone more kisses? He already knew the answer to that thought as he kissed him on the lips, nose and then forehead. He would never refuse Jensen. “Greedy,” he stated in a soft voice. And heard Jensen laugh.

“Always, for kisses,” Jensen admitted. 

Since being found and freed, Jensen had made great progress. He had finally been given time to mourn the death of his parents. With Jared, he had traveled to his hometown to pay his respects. He had cried the tears he needed to in order to heal. He refused to meet with people from his past; there was no point in his mind. Meeting them, speaking to them wouldn’t change what had happened. It wouldn’t give him back his childhood. It wouldn’t give him back his parents. It would never replace what had been stolen from him. All he wanted was to move forward. Somehow, Felicia had managed to find a few pictures of him with his parents and he treasured them. They were proudly on display in their home, along with the pictures of his new family, the one he had created with Jared.

Pellegrino’s cabin had been torn down. In its place now stood a playground. Instead of a source of sorrow and fear, the area was now filled with laughter and joy. Jensen had been the one to suggest it and Jared had made it happen. The pack was healthy, happy, and thriving. Aside from Jared’s former team members, several others had requested to join the Ashland pack, some had been former members who had escaped, and some were new, like JD and his mate Hilarie and their two young pups. Felicia had found another beta, Melany to settle down with. Matt had shocked everyone when he announced that he and Liam, the beta who had first offered them assistance when they had entered Ashland, had mated, and despite their rocky start, he and Jensen were best friends. Aldis and his mate, Karen now had a pup of their own. Chad and his mate Sarah had added to their growing numbers with two pups of their own. Christian had his eye on an omega and everyone knew it was just a matter of time before they mated. Misha had even taken a mate, Betty. They had formed a bond upon first meeting when he had cared for her after she had been freed from the cabin. Despite not being the pup's biological sire, Misha loved the little one, treating the pup as his own flesh and blood. Rich had also forged a bond with Olivia, another of the abused omegas, and had mated with her and they were now expecting their first pup.

After tearing down Pellegrino’s cabin, Jared had a cabin built for himself and Jensen. It wasn’t as grandiose as Pellegrino’s had been, there was no need for something like that for him or Jensen. They had discussed the idea of what they wanted versus what they needed for their new home. Their cabin consisted of three bedrooms, an open living room that led into a kitchen and dining area, and an office for Jared that enabled him to work from home when he needed to. There was also a loft that was Jensen’s where he could retreat to when things overwhelmed him. Jared had never ventured up there after helping Jensen decorate it with soft pillows, plush bean bags, and blankets. Jared knew if Jensen was up there, he needed his space and would eventually climb down when he was ready to face the world again. 

A soft cry cut through the silence of the cabin, forcing the pair apart and Jared from his thoughts about his mate and their pack. Jensen turned in the direction of the sound, ready to leave the kitchen when Jared pulled him back. “Sit, I’ll go,” he said softly as he pushed Jensen toward one of the chairs with a kiss before disappearing. He returned a few minutes with their pup held securely in his arms. “Seems someone was missing his parents.”

Jensen looked up as Jared walked toward him holding their three-month-old pup cradled in his arms. He smiled as he watched the pair, his heart nearly bursting with love for Jared and Jae. He was still overwhelmed at times by the thought that he had Jared as a mate and that together they had created what was one of his greatest sources of joy, their pup. At first he had been terrified of everything; Jared, their mating, their bond, the life they had created together; and then when he had discovered he was carrying a new fear had set in. How could he care for their pup when at times he couldn’t care for himself? Living all those years in captivity hadn’t made finding himself finally free of the cage and Pellegrino easy. There were many nights he had slept in a closet, needing to feel safe, despite Jared’s assurance that he was. It had taken months for him to reclaim the speech he had lost and longer for him to understand what the world now offered. 

The only time he had left Ashland was the trip Jared had taken him on to visit his hometown. After that, he saw no reason to step foot off of the pack lands; the world was too big, too loud for him. Slowly, he had opened up to the idea of visiting other places. He didn’t want to limit their pup to only ever knowing Ashland when he found out he was carrying. It had started with short drives, not willing to be gone from Ashland for too long. Now, he was able to travel and be away from Ashland for an entire day, as long as Jared was with him. It was slow, but it was progress. He still stumbled over things; trying to find the right word, understanding what was being said or what was happening around him, but Jared was always there to help him. Jared was his rock and together they had created a new life for themselves. He had worried, at first, that Jared regretted giving up the life he had before coming to Ashland, but Jared had made it very clear that his life was here in Ashland with him, or wherever they were, as long as they were together. 

Jensen held his arms out as Jared walked closer to him. “Hello little pup,” he murmured as Jae settled in his arms, snuggling up to him, and he sighed in contentment. He felt Jared’s hand settle on his shoulder and he looked up to meet Jared’s hazel eyes, seeing the love he had for his mate reflected in those eyes. Within moments he felt soft puffs of breath against his neck, letting him know that Jae had settled and fallen back to sleep.

Taking a seat next to Jensen, Jared looked at his family. He was still amazed at times that he had found Jensen. His parents had met Jensen and fallen in love with him as well. They had spent time getting to know Jensen, offering him the love and support he needed in the form of parental figures as well as offering him friendship. He knew Jensen had been relieved to be accepted as his mate by his parents, not that it would have mattered to him. Jensen was his mate; nothing would ever change that. Nothing would ever separate them. He reached out and took Jensen's hand in his, entwining their fingers together. “If I had the choice to do this over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you. I love Jae and I love our life together.”

Jensen gave Jared’s hand a slight squeeze and looked into the face of the man he loved. His alpha, his mate, his Jared. “Good, I wouldn’t change it either. I love you both,” he said as he dropped his gaze to give a kiss to Jae’s soft cheek, scenting the pup as he did. Next to Jared’s scent, which excited him as well as smelled of  _ home _ and  _ mate _ , Jae’s scent was soothing - a combination of his and Jared’s scent in one tiny being. He returned his gaze to Jared, whose eyes were transfixed on their sleeping pup. “I hope you still feel that way in another six months.”

Jared’s head snapped up, his hazel eyes searching Jensen’s green orbs, trying to determine if Jensen was teasing him. “Are you? Are you telling me you’re carrying?” he managed to ask before shock settled over him. He watched as Jensen’s smile widened and he nodded his head.

Moving their entwined hands, Jensen rested them over his stomach. It would be a few months before they would actually be able to feel the flutter of the growing life nestled within his body, but it was there. “Yes, alpha,” he confirmed and watched as Jared’s shocked expression morphed into a blinding smile. “I’m carrying another of your pups.”

“My amazing omega,” Jared breathed out as he slid off his chair to kneel next to Jensen. He withdrew his hand from Jensen’s so he could push aside his shirt. Leaning in, he gently and reverently placed a kiss on Jensen’s stomach. “I’m the luckiest alpha that walked this earth. I love you so much.” He looked up to see a tear slip from Jensen’s eye. Reaching up, he brushed it away with his thumb. “Jensen?”

“I’m the lucky one. I never thought I’d have this, any of this. Not a home, a mate, a pup, let alone two. I thought I’d die in that cage . . . and then you . . . you gave me everything. I love you,” Jensen whispered in a broken voice.

“Then we’re both lucky, so lucky to have each other. Never doubt that.” Jared forced himself up and back onto the chair, reclaiming Jensen’s hand as he did, not wanting to let go of his mate. “If this is a dream, I don’t ever want to wake up,” he said in a low voice and heard Jensen’s soft laugh.

Neither of them ever dreamed of a life beyond what they had before finding each other. Jensen’s life had been filled with terror and unspeakable horror. Jared’s life, while filled with his work, had been satisfying but empty. For whatever reason, the call that had been placed to the council, pleading for help in Ashland, had set in motion everything leading up to an alpha and an omega meeting and forging a life together. One that Jared and Jensen knew they were blessed to have and looked forward to spending together for the rest of their lives. 


End file.
